Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $37,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

228

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,799

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,799 in Cambridge, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Cambridge, MA $4,799
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,155 in Cambridge, MA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Cambridge, MA $7,155
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,510 in Cambridge, MA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Cambridge, MA $9,510
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Cambridge, MA is roughly 192% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge, MA 255% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.83 $19.83

$13.37 MX$251

48.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$47.95 MX$900

111.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 $11.82

$10.79 MX$203

9.55%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.77 MX$70.7

42.71%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.51 MX$28.37

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.03 MX$19.33

128.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 $7.93

$2.48 MX$46.60

219.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$4.36 MX$81.8

88.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.89 MX$35.58

-37.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.85 MX$53.5

54.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.23 $7.23

$1.86 MX$34.86

288.71%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$2.47 MX$46.31

103.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.02 $19.02

$11.81 MX$222

61.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.98 $13.98

$8.97 MX$168

55.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.03 $19.03

$12.57 MX$236

51.39%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.20 MX$60.0

131.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.50 MX$28.23

9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.88 $5.88

$2.12 MX$39.90

177.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 $7.71

$2.33 MX$43.82

230.90%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.22 MX$41.75

97.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.58 MX$48.54

42.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.45 MX$27.15

102.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.22 MX$22.94

105.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.35 $13.35

$4.80 MX$90.1

178.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 $15.55

$13.30 MX$250

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.93 MX$36.28

0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.86 MX$53.6

56.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.80 MX$15.00

198.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 $88.9

$30.94 MX$581

187.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.83 MX$34.42

112.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.06 MX$19.86

102.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.68 $29.68

$10.82 MX$203

174.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.47 MX$27.65

-24.49%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

13.52%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

12.83%

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

$228 $228

$115 MX$2,152

99.01%

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

$55.6 $55.6

$26.37 MX$495

110.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.6 $78.6

$25.70 MX$483

205.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.9 $74.9

$30.53 MX$573

145.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.38 $30.38

$21.27 MX$400

42.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$4.96 MX$93.1

205.85%

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

$2,591 $2,591

$679 MX$12.7K

281.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.7K $45.7K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

221.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 $72.8

$72.2 MX$1,356

0.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 $51.1

$41.94 MX$788

21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$107 MX$2,019

-3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$119 MX$2,228

18.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,738 $3,738

$1,018 MX$19.1K

267.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$722 MX$13.6K

344.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,164 $6,164

$1,966 MX$36.9K

213.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,901 $5,901

$1,416 MX$26.6K

316.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,656 $7,656

$4,203 MX$78.9K

82.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,069 $6,069

$2,782 MX$52.2K

118.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,222 $6,222

$1,096 MX$20.6K

467.84%

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 Cambridge, MA: 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

Cambridge, MA

$3.2K 66.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 77.5% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge, MA

$510 10.6%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 40.8% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge, MA

$362 7.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 54% $196

Eating Out

Cambridge, MA

$336 7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 35.8% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 7.5% $12

Getting Around

Cambridge, MA

$113 2.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 63.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge, MA

$105 2.2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 61.6% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,738 in Cambridge, MA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $101 in Cambridge, MA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $510 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

1 h behind Cambridge, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,162

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 →

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Between locations

Cambridge, MA Monterrey 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge, MA
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

Cambridge, MA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Cambridge, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cambridge, MA is about 5.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,738 in Cambridge, MA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Cambridge, MA. 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 $101 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Cambridge, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value at $1,641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.