Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethlehem, PA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem, PA
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Bethlehem, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Bethlehem, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,582

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,582 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $2,582
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,693 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $3,693
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $4,804 per month in Bethlehem, PA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Bethlehem, PA $4,804
Monterrey $3,504

Bethlehem, PA costs about 57% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bethlehem, PA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Bethlehem, PA by 91%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 $18.08

$13.37 MX$250

35.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 $50.5

$47.95 MX$897

5.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.03 $13.03

$10.79 MX$202

20.76%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$3.77 MX$70.4

32.36%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.51 MX$28.26

102.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.03 MX$19.25

93.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.48 MX$46.41

117.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.36 MX$81.5

79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.89 MX$35.43

-39.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.85 MX$53.3

43.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.86 MX$34.71

110.75%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$2.47 MX$46.12

73.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.90 $11.90

$11.81 MX$221

0.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.08 $16.08

$8.97 MX$168

79.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$12.57 MX$235

48.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.33 $6.33

$3.20 MX$59.8

97.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.50 MX$28.12

-11.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.12 MX$39.74

92.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 $4.25

$2.33 MX$43.64

82.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 $2.12

$2.22 MX$41.58

-4.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.58 MX$48.34

6.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.45 MX$27.04

89.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.22 MX$22.85

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.23 $9.23

$4.80 MX$89.7

92.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.68 $17.68

$13.30 MX$249

32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.93 MX$36.14

-12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$2.86 MX$53.4

139.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.83 MX$34.28

171.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.06 MX$19.78

177.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.48 $34.48

$10.82 MX$202

218.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.47 MX$27.54

-29.93%

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

$22.9K $22.9K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

-5.05%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

2.56%

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

$207 $207

$115 MX$2,144

80.89%

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

$39.37 $39.37

$26.37 MX$493

49.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$25.70 MX$481

205.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.08 $37.08

$30.53 MX$571

21.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$4.96 MX$92.8

201.01%

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

$1,000 $1,000

$679 MX$12.7K

47.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$65.3K $65.3K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

360.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$72.2 MX$1,350

-26.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.72 $29.72

$41.94 MX$784

-29.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 $67.4

$107 MX$2,011

-37.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 $84.0

$119 MX$2,219

-29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 $1,527

$1,018 MX$19.0K

50.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 $1,322

$722 MX$13.5K

83.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,228 $2,228

$1,966 MX$36.8K

13.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,416 MX$26.5K

52.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,175 $2,175

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-48.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,119 $2,119

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-23.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,664 $3,664

$1,096 MX$20.5K

234.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.79

-44.87%

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

Last update for Bethlehem, PA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bethlehem, PA

$1.3K 51.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 45.4% $600

Groceries & Markets

Bethlehem, PA

$437 16.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 30.8% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethlehem, PA

$325 12.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 48.8% $159

Eating Out

Bethlehem, PA

$306 11.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 29.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Bethlehem, PA

$105 4.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 45.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Bethlehem, PA

$67 2.6%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 39.6% $27

Getting Around

Bethlehem, PA

$20 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 110% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,527 in Bethlehem, PA 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 Bethlehem, PA are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Bethlehem, PA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $437 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bethlehem, PA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h behind Bethlehem, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,624

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

Bethlehem, PA Monterrey 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethlehem, PA
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

Bethlehem, PA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,873 per month in Bethlehem, PA 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 $1,527 in Bethlehem, PA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Bethlehem, PA and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Bethlehem, PA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA and $1,641 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,641 in Monterrey to $2,582 in Bethlehem, PA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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