Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethesda, MD and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,146 in Bethesda, MD, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

Cost of Living Index in Bethesda, MD
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Bethesda, MD Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Bethesda, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,146

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bethesda, MD 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 Bethesda, MD and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,146 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $3,146
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,946 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $4,946
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $6,745 per month in Bethesda, MD vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bethesda, MD $6,745
Monterrey $3,504

Bethesda, MD costs about 92% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bethesda, MD and Monterrey sit above the global median – Bethesda, MD by 133%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.72 $22.72

$13.37 MX$250

69.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$47.95 MX$897

107.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$10.79 MX$202

0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$3.77 MX$70.4

48.81%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$1.51 MX$28.26

103.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.03 MX$19.25

135.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 $6.97

$2.48 MX$46.41

181.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.20 $9.20

$4.36 MX$81.5

111.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.89 MX$35.43

-39.15%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.85 MX$53.3

47.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$1.86 MX$34.71

104.84%

Eggs

$4.71 $4.71

$2.47 MX$46.12

90.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.97 $16.97

$11.81 MX$221

43.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.87 $15.87

$8.97 MX$168

76.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.91 $22.91

$12.57 MX$235

82.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$3.20 MX$59.8

70.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.50 MX$28.12

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.12 MX$39.74

99.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.33 MX$43.64

84.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.22 MX$41.58

-3.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.58 MX$48.34

5.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.45 MX$27.04

61.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.22 MX$22.85

110.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 $9.60

$4.80 MX$89.7

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.16 $18.16

$13.30 MX$249

36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.93 MX$36.14

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.86 MX$53.4

1.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.80 MX$14.94

270.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 $100

$30.94 MX$579

224.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.83 MX$34.28

139.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.06 MX$19.78

55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.93 $32.93

$10.82 MX$202

204.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.47 MX$27.54

-31.97%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

-5.06%

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

$23.9K $23.9K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

1.72%

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

$165 $165

$115 MX$2,144

44.03%

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

$38.89 $38.89

$26.37 MX$493

47.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.7 $61.7

$25.70 MX$481

139.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 $105

$30.53 MX$571

245.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.33 $30.33

$21.27 MX$398

42.60%

Cinema Ticket

$16.08 $16.08

$4.96 MX$92.8

224.19%

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

$1,867 $1,867

$679 MX$12.7K

175.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.6K $23.6K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

66.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 $56.4

$72.2 MX$1,350

-21.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 $56.0

$41.94 MX$784

33.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$107 MX$2,011

-3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 $149

$119 MX$2,219

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,302 $2,302

$1,018 MX$19.0K

126.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$722 MX$13.5K

126.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,088 $4,088

$1,966 MX$36.8K

107.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,226 $3,226

$1,416 MX$26.5K

127.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,869 $5,869

$4,203 MX$78.6K

39.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,382 $5,382

$2,782 MX$52.0K

93.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,578 $8,578

$1,096 MX$20.5K

682.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.79

-41.82%

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

Last update for Bethesda, MD: 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

Bethesda, MD

$1.6K 51.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 55.8% $912

Groceries & Markets

Bethesda, MD

$463 14.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 34.8% $161

Eating Out

Bethesda, MD

$357 11.3%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 39.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethesda, MD

$266 8.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 37.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Bethesda, MD

$164 5.2%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 6.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bethesda, MD

$138 4.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 70.6% $97

Getting Around

Bethesda, MD

$125 4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 67% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,302 in Bethesda, MD 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.

Salaries in Bethesda, MD are about 7.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Bethesda, MD versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $463 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethesda, MD

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

15:16 3:16 PM

1 h behind Bethesda, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,858

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bethesda, MD Monterrey 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bethesda, MD
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

Bethesda, MD vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bethesda, MD is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,720 per month in Bethesda, MD 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 $2,302 in Bethesda, MD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Bethesda, MD and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,146 in Bethesda, MD and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 48% cheaper.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Bethesda, MD at $3,146. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethesda, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bethesda, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.