Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cincinnati, OH and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,280 in Cincinnati, OH, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Cincinnati, OH
Learn more

Cincinnati, OH Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Cincinnati, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,280

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,280 per month in Cincinnati, OH vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cincinnati, OH $2,280
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,396 per month in Cincinnati, OH vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cincinnati, OH $3,396
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $4,512 per month in Cincinnati, OH vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Cincinnati, OH $4,512
Monterrey $3,504

Cincinnati, OH costs about 39% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cincinnati, OH and Monterrey sit above the global median – Cincinnati, OH by 69%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.21 $15.21

$13.37 MX$250

13.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 $55.2

$47.95 MX$897

15.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 $8.99

$10.79 MX$202

-16.68%

Cappuccino

$4.93 $4.93

$3.77 MX$70.4

30.77%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.51 MX$28.26

51.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.03 MX$19.25

66.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.48 MX$46.41

106.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.71 $7.71

$4.36 MX$81.5

76.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.89 MX$35.43

-51.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.85 MX$53.3

14.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.86 MX$34.71

116.13%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$2.47 MX$46.12

68.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 $12.77

$11.81 MX$221

8.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$8.97 MX$168

23.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 $16.02

$12.57 MX$235

27.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$3.20 MX$59.8

72.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.50 MX$28.12

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.12 MX$39.74

110.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.33 MX$43.64

103.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.22 MX$41.58

13.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.58 MX$48.34

23.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.45 MX$27.04

41.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.22 MX$22.85

58.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.00 $10.00

$4.80 MX$89.7

108.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 $15.21

$13.30 MX$249

14.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.93 MX$36.14

6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.86 MX$53.4

4.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 $2.72

$0.80 MX$14.94

240.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 $107

$30.94 MX$579

247.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.83 MX$34.28

102.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.06 MX$19.78

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.82 $24.82

$10.82 MX$202

129.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 MX$27.54

-25.85%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

51.42%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

12.73%

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

$152 $152

$115 MX$2,144

32.27%

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

$79.2 $79.2

$26.37 MX$493

200.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$25.70 MX$481

178.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.53 $32.53

$30.53 MX$571

6.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.65 $13.65

$21.27 MX$398

-35.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.07 $15.07

$4.96 MX$92.8

203.83%

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

$1,327 $1,327

$679 MX$12.7K

95.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

78.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.91 $44.91

$72.2 MX$1,350

-37.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.15 $44.15

$41.94 MX$784

5.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 $85.8

$107 MX$2,011

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$119 MX$2,219

-9.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$1,018 MX$19.0K

47.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$722 MX$13.5K

39.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,044 $3,044

$1,966 MX$36.8K

54.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 $1,750

$1,416 MX$26.5K

23.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,529 $3,529

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-16.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,993 $1,993

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-28.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,191 $4,191

$1,096 MX$20.5K

282.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

11.79

-41.98%

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

Last update for Cincinnati, OH: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cincinnati, OH

$1K 44.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 28.4% $286

Groceries & Markets

Cincinnati, OH

$387 17%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 21.9% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cincinnati, OH

$302 13.3%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 44.9% $136

Eating Out

Cincinnati, OH

$265 11.6%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 18.5% $49

Getting Around

Cincinnati, OH

$128 5.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 67.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cincinnati, OH

$127 5.6%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cincinnati, OH

$63 2.8%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 35.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,497 in Cincinnati, OH 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 Cincinnati, OH are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Cincinnati, OH versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $387 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cincinnati, OH

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:51 2:51 PM

13:51 1:51 PM

1 h behind Cincinnati, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

298,800

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cincinnati, OH Monterrey 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cincinnati, OH
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

Cincinnati, OH vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,280 in Cincinnati, OH, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,420 per month in Cincinnati, OH 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 $1,497 in Cincinnati, OH.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,280 in Cincinnati, OH and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 28% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 71% 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 $2,280 in Cincinnati, OH 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, Cincinnati, OH makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.