Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleston, WV and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,811 in Charleston, WV, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, WV
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Charleston, WV Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

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Charleston, WV

🇺🇸 United States

$1,811

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,811 in Charleston, WV versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Charleston, WV $1,811
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,686 in Charleston, WV versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Charleston, WV $2,686
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,560 in Charleston, WV versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Charleston, WV $3,560
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Charleston, WV is roughly 10% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charleston, WV 34% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.56 $14.56

$13.37 MX$250

8.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 $50.5

$47.95 MX$897

5.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$10.79 MX$202

-8.90%

Cappuccino

$2.96 $2.96

$3.77 MX$70.4

-21.49%

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

$2.35 $2.35

$1.51 MX$28.26

55.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.03 MX$19.25

79.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.48 MX$46.41

21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 $6.39

$4.36 MX$81.5

46.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.89 MX$35.43

-60.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.85 MX$53.3

-25.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.86 MX$34.71

-13.98%

Eggs

$3.20 $3.20

$2.47 MX$46.12

29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$11.81 MX$221

-7.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$8.97 MX$168

33.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.75 $16.75

$12.57 MX$235

33.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$3.20 MX$59.8

40.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.50 MX$28.12

-32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.12 MX$39.74

4.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.33 MX$43.64

119.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.22 MX$41.58

-12.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.58 MX$48.34

12.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 MX$27.04

36.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.22 MX$22.85

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 $5.93

$4.80 MX$89.7

23.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.87 $9.87

$13.30 MX$249

-25.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.93 MX$36.14

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.86 MX$53.4

111.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.47 MX$27.54

-34.01%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

16.45%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

11.55%

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

$203 $203

$115 MX$2,144

76.74%

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

$46.18 $46.18

$26.37 MX$493

75.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 $54.1

$25.70 MX$481

110.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.32 $31.32

$30.53 MX$571

2.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.93 $16.93

$21.27 MX$398

-20.40%

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$4.96 MX$92.8

145.77%

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

$523 $523

$679 MX$12.7K

-22.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K $11.1K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

-21.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.31 $40.31

$72.2 MX$1,350

-44.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 $47.52

$41.94 MX$784

13.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 $69.2

$107 MX$2,011

-35.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$119 MX$2,219

1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 $1,022

$1,018 MX$19.0K

0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 $775

$722 MX$13.5K

7.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 $1,731

$1,966 MX$36.8K

-11.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 $1,333

$1,416 MX$26.5K

-5.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,195 $1,195

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-71.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,196 $1,196

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-56.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,581 $3,581

$1,096 MX$20.5K

226.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

11.79

-43.51%

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

Last update for Charleston, WV: 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

Charleston, WV

$775 42.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 7% $54

Groceries & Markets

Charleston, WV

$326 18%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 7.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Charleston, WV

$303 16.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 45% $136

Eating Out

Charleston, WV

$226 12.5%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 4.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Charleston, WV

$125 6.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 22.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Charleston, WV

$56 3.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 27.4% $15

Getting Around

Charleston, WV

- * 0%

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,022 in Charleston, WV and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Charleston, WV pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Charleston, WV vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Charleston, WV

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

1 h behind Charleston, WV

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,227

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

Charleston, WV Monterrey 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Charleston, WV
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

Charleston, WV vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Charleston, WV is about 3.3 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: $1,022 in Charleston, WV versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $523 in Charleston, WV versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $50 in Charleston, WV. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Charleston, WV on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.