Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfast, ME and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,589 in Belfast, ME, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Belfast, ME
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Belfast, ME Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Belfast, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belfast, ME and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Belfast, ME and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Belfast, ME vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Belfast, ME $2,589
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,813 per month in Belfast, ME vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Belfast, ME $3,813
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,037 per month in Belfast, ME vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Belfast, ME $5,037
Monterrey $3,504

Belfast, ME costs about 58% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Belfast, ME and Monterrey sit above the global median – Belfast, ME by 92%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.70 $19.70

$13.37 MX$250

47.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 $74.4

$47.95 MX$897

55.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.57 $11.57

$10.79 MX$202

7.23%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.77 MX$70.4

43.24%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.51 MX$28.26

73.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.03 MX$19.25

98.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.48 MX$46.41

144.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 $7.07

$4.36 MX$81.5

62.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.89 MX$35.43

-43.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.85 MX$53.3

27.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.86 MX$34.71

141.94%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$2.47 MX$46.12

70.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 $12.14

$11.81 MX$221

2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 $10.84

$8.97 MX$168

20.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.42 $17.42

$12.57 MX$235

38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.20 MX$59.8

59.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.50 MX$28.12

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.12 MX$39.74

99.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.33 MX$43.64

73.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.22 MX$41.58

30.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.58 MX$48.34

17.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.45 MX$27.04

51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.22 MX$22.85

75.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$4.80 MX$89.7

109.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 $14.83

$13.30 MX$249

11.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.93 MX$36.14

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.86 MX$53.4

18.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.80 MX$14.94

165.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 $61.4

$30.94 MX$579

98.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.83 MX$34.28

108.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.06 MX$19.78

56.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.77 $31.77

$10.82 MX$202

193.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 MX$27.54

-33.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.3K $27.3K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

13.17%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

11.05%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$200 $200

$115 MX$2,144

74.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$57.5 $57.5

$26.37 MX$493

117.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$25.70 MX$481

166.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.30 $41.30

$30.53 MX$571

35.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 $12.84

$4.96 MX$92.8

158.87%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,362 $1,362

$679 MX$12.7K

100.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

51.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 $53.5

$72.2 MX$1,350

-25.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.34 $41.34

$41.94 MX$784

-1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$107 MX$2,011

-18.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$119 MX$2,219

-4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 $1,605

$1,018 MX$19.0K

57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 $1,269

$722 MX$13.5K

75.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,966 MX$36.8K

28.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,138 $2,138

$1,416 MX$26.5K

51.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,816 $2,816

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-33.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,334 $2,334

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-16.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.79

-44.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Belfast, ME: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Belfast, ME

$1.3K 49%

Monterrey

$722 44% 43.2% $548

Groceries & Markets

Belfast, ME

$392 15.1%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 22.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belfast, ME

$326 12.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 48.9% $159

Eating Out

Belfast, ME

$320 12.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 32.6% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Belfast, ME

$133 5.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 15.1% $20

Getting Around

Belfast, ME

$82 3.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 49.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Belfast, ME

$67 2.6%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 39.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,605 in Belfast, ME versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Belfast, ME versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Belfast, ME

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h behind Belfast, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,800

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belfast, ME Monterrey 3,500 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Belfast, ME
Monterrey

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Belfast, ME vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Belfast, ME is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,884 per month in Belfast, ME and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,605 in Belfast, ME.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,362 per month in Belfast, ME and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,589 in Belfast, ME and $1,641 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Monterrey is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.