Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, NC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
Learn more

Burlington, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,645 per month in Burlington, NC vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Burlington, NC $2,645
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,850 per month in Burlington, NC vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Burlington, NC $3,850
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,054 per month in Burlington, NC vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Burlington, NC $5,054
Monterrey $3,504

Burlington, NC costs about 61% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Burlington, NC and Monterrey sit above the global median – Burlington, NC by 96%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.38 $19.38

$13.37 MX$251

44.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$47.95 MX$900

54.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 $10.92

$10.79 MX$203

1.20%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.77 MX$70.7

33.69%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.51 MX$28.37

73.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.03 MX$19.33

89.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.48 MX$46.60

148.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$4.36 MX$81.8

55.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.89 MX$35.58

-44.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.85 MX$53.5

23.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.86 MX$34.86

127.42%

Eggs

$4.22 $4.22

$2.47 MX$46.31

70.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 $12.02

$11.81 MX$222

1.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$8.97 MX$168

25.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.19 $15.19

$12.57 MX$236

20.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.20 MX$60.0

48.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.50 MX$28.23

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$2.12 MX$39.90

94.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.33 MX$43.82

97.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.22 MX$41.75

29.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$2.58 MX$48.54

11.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.45 MX$27.15

45.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.22 MX$22.94

73.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.40 $9.40

$4.80 MX$90.1

95.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 $13.88

$13.30 MX$250

4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.93 MX$36.28

-7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.86 MX$53.6

17.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.80 MX$15.00

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$30.94 MX$581

93.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.83 MX$34.42

89.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.06 MX$19.86

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.13 $29.13

$10.82 MX$203

169.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.47 MX$27.65

-43.54%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

20.80%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

9.34%

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

$188 $188

$115 MX$2,152

63.76%

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

$53.1 $53.1

$26.37 MX$495

101.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$25.70 MX$483

165.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.74 $42.74

$30.53 MX$573

39.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$13.63 $13.63

$4.96 MX$93.1

174.80%

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

$1,310 $1,310

$679 MX$12.7K

93.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

63.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$72.2 MX$1,356

-30.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.77 $40.77

$41.94 MX$788

-2.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$107 MX$2,019

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$119 MX$2,228

-3.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 $1,611

$1,018 MX$19.1K

58.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 $1,363

$722 MX$13.6K

88.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,655 $2,655

$1,966 MX$36.9K

35.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 $2,223

$1,416 MX$26.6K

57.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,746 $2,746

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-34.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,444 $2,444

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-12.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.79

-44.78%

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

Last update for Burlington, NC: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 51.5%

Monterrey

$722 44% 47.1% $642

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, NC

$382 14.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 20.9% $80

Eating Out

Burlington, NC

$311 11.8%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 30.6% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, NC

$309 11.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 46.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, NC

$131 5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 17% $22

Getting Around

Burlington, NC

$80 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 48.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, NC

$70 2.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 42.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in Burlington, NC 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 Burlington, NC versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

02:16 2:16 AM

1 h behind Burlington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burlington, NC Monterrey 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, NC
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

Burlington, NC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,645 in Burlington, NC, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,968 per month in Burlington, NC 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 $1,611 in Burlington, NC.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,310 per month in Burlington, NC 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 $2,645 in Burlington, NC 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 38% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.