Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Big Rapids, MI and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,964 in Big Rapids, MI, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Big Rapids, MI
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Big Rapids, MI Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Big Rapids, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,964

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,964 in Big Rapids, MI versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Big Rapids, MI $1,964
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,863 in Big Rapids, MI versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Big Rapids, MI $2,863
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,762 in Big Rapids, MI versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Big Rapids, MI $3,762
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Big Rapids, MI is roughly 20% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Big Rapids, MI 45% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.63 $18.63

$13.37 MX$251

39.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$47.95 MX$900

26.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 $7.86

$10.79 MX$203

-27.15%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.77 MX$70.7

33.69%

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

$2.86 $2.86

$1.51 MX$28.37

89.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.03 MX$19.33

103.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 $6.35

$2.48 MX$46.60

156.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$4.36 MX$81.8

84.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.89 MX$35.58

-56.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.85 MX$53.5

12.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.86 MX$34.86

20.97%

Eggs

$3.80 $3.80

$2.47 MX$46.31

53.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.88 $16.88

$11.81 MX$222

42.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$8.97 MX$168

47.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 $14.48

$12.57 MX$236

15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.20 MX$60.0

9.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.50 MX$28.23

-58.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.12 MX$39.90

80.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.33 MX$43.82

90.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.22 MX$41.75

8.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.58 MX$48.54

9.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.45 MX$27.15

64.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.22 MX$22.94

61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.50 $10.50

$4.80 MX$90.1

118.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.29 $13.29

$13.30 MX$250

-0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.93 MX$36.28

11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.86 MX$53.6

-1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.80 MX$15.00

148.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$30.94 MX$581

91.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.83 MX$34.42

68.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.06 MX$19.86

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.72 $26.72

$10.82 MX$203

146.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 MX$27.65

-26.53%

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

$29.5K $29.5K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

22.41%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

0.05%

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

$201 $201

$115 MX$2,152

75.80%

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

$57.7 $57.7

$26.37 MX$495

118.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.0 $74.0

$25.70 MX$483

187.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.19 $35.19

$30.53 MX$573

15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$13.20 $13.20

$4.96 MX$93.1

166.13%

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

$2,035 $2,035

$679 MX$12.7K

199.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K $20.1K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

41.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$72.2 MX$1,356

-22.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$41.94 MX$788

-16.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$107 MX$2,019

-17.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$119 MX$2,228

-12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 $897

$1,018 MX$19.1K

-11.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 $691

$722 MX$13.6K

-4.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,546 $1,546

$1,966 MX$36.9K

-21.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 $1,040

$1,416 MX$26.6K

-26.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,161 $3,161

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-24.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,455 $2,455

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-11.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

11.79

-51.82%

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

Last update for Big Rapids, MI: 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

Big Rapids, MI

$691 35.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 4.4% $31

Groceries & Markets

Big Rapids, MI

$373 19%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 18.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Big Rapids, MI

$333 17%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 50% $166

Eating Out

Big Rapids, MI

$301 15.3%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 28.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Big Rapids, MI

$127 6.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.5% $26

Getting Around

Big Rapids, MI

$78 4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 47.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Big Rapids, MI

$62 3.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 34.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Big Rapids, MI and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Big Rapids, MI vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Big Rapids, MI

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h behind Big Rapids, MI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,565

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Big Rapids, MI Monterrey 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Big Rapids, MI
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

Big Rapids, MI vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,947 in Big Rapids, MI and $2,461 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $897 in Big Rapids, MI versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Big Rapids, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $61 in Big Rapids, MI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.