Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chattanooga, TN and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,499 in Chattanooga, TN, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Chattanooga, TN
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Chattanooga, TN Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Chattanooga, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,499

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Chattanooga, TN vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chattanooga, TN $2,499
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,768 per month in Chattanooga, TN vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chattanooga, TN $3,768
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,037 per month in Chattanooga, TN vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chattanooga, TN $5,037
Monterrey $3,504

Chattanooga, TN costs about 52% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chattanooga, TN and Monterrey sit above the global median – Chattanooga, TN by 85%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.70 $19.70

$13.37 MX$251

47.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$47.95 MX$900

108.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 $10.95

$10.79 MX$203

1.48%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.77 MX$70.7

41.11%

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

$2.42 $2.42

$1.51 MX$28.37

60.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.03 MX$19.33

99.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.48 MX$46.60

143.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.66 $7.66

$4.36 MX$81.8

75.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.89 MX$35.58

-40.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.85 MX$53.5

31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.86 MX$34.86

109.14%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$2.47 MX$46.31

70.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 $13.88

$11.81 MX$222

17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$8.97 MX$168

61.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 $13.19

$12.57 MX$236

4.93%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$3.20 MX$60.0

106.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.50 MX$28.23

10.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.12 MX$39.90

101.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.33 MX$43.82

84.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.22 MX$41.75

35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$2.58 MX$48.54

44.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.45 MX$27.15

84.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.22 MX$22.94

95.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.29 $9.29

$4.80 MX$90.1

93.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.66 $17.66

$13.30 MX$250

32.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.93 MX$36.28

3.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.86 MX$53.6

13.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.80 MX$15.00

90.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.9 $50.9

$30.94 MX$581

64.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 $5.08

$1.83 MX$34.42

177.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.06 MX$19.86

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.61 $29.61

$10.82 MX$203

173.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.47 MX$27.65

-38.10%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

17.12%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

14.11%

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

$157 $157

$115 MX$2,152

37.03%

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

$83.8 $83.8

$26.37 MX$495

217.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$25.70 MX$483

194.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.30 $36.30

$30.53 MX$573

18.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.04 $4.04

$21.27 MX$400

-81.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.04 $15.04

$4.96 MX$93.1

203.23%

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

$1,072 $1,072

$679 MX$12.7K

58.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

24.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.15 $41.15

$72.2 MX$1,356

-43.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.38 $38.38

$41.94 MX$788

-8.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 $99.5

$107 MX$2,019

-7.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 MX$2,228

0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 $1,508

$1,018 MX$19.1K

48.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$722 MX$13.6K

62.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,710 $2,710

$1,966 MX$36.9K

37.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 $1,947

$1,416 MX$26.6K

37.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,950 $2,950

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-29.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,180 $2,180

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-21.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,053 $4,053

$1,096 MX$20.6K

269.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.79

-43.77%

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

Last update for Chattanooga, TN: 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

Chattanooga, TN

$1.2K 46.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 38.3% $449

Groceries & Markets

Chattanooga, TN

$424 17%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 28.8% $122

Eating Out

Chattanooga, TN

$318 12.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 32.1% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chattanooga, TN

$316 12.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 47.3% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Chattanooga, TN

$134 5.4%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 13.9% $19

Getting Around

Chattanooga, TN

$70 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 41% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chattanooga, TN

$66 2.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 39.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,508 in Chattanooga, TN 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 Chattanooga, TN are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Chattanooga, TN versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $424 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chattanooga, TN

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

1 h behind Chattanooga, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,588

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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Between locations

Chattanooga, TN Monterrey 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chattanooga, TN
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

Chattanooga, TN vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chattanooga, TN costs about 52% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Chattanooga, TN 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 $1,508 in Chattanooga, TN.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,499 in Chattanooga, TN and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,499 in Chattanooga, TN 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.

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