Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Clifton, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,835 in Clifton, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Clifton, NJ
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Clifton, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Clifton, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,835

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,835 per month in Clifton, NJ vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Clifton, NJ $2,835
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,106 per month in Clifton, NJ vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Clifton, NJ $4,106
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,376 per month in Clifton, NJ vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Clifton, NJ $5,376
Monterrey $3,504

Clifton, NJ costs about 73% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Clifton, NJ and Monterrey sit above the global median – Clifton, NJ by 110%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 $22.17

$13.37 MX$249

65.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.3 $81.3

$47.95 MX$892

69.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.79 MX$201

22.89%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$3.77 MX$70.0

75.60%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.51 MX$28.09

66.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.03 MX$19.14

67.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 $7.83

$2.48 MX$46.14

215.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.85 $6.85

$4.36 MX$81.0

57.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.89 MX$35.23

-30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.85 MX$53.0

56.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$1.86 MX$34.52

219.35%

Eggs

$6.00 $6.00

$2.47 MX$45.86

142.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$11.81 MX$220

19.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 $10.47

$8.97 MX$167

16.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 $19.88

$12.57 MX$234

58.15%

Apples (1kg)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.20 MX$59.4

89.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.50 MX$27.96

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.73 $6.73

$2.12 MX$39.52

217.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.33 MX$43.39

131.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.22 MX$41.34

59.01%

Onion (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.58 MX$48.07

73.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.45 MX$26.88

108.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.22 MX$22.72

118.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.89 $14.89

$4.80 MX$89.2

210.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.30 MX$247

14.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.93 MX$35.93

-5.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.86 MX$53.1

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.44 $4.44

$0.80 MX$14.85

455.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$575

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.83 MX$34.08

61.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.06 MX$19.66

107.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$10.82 MX$201

280.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.47 MX$27.39

-22.45%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

41.00%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

13.08%

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

$230 $230

$115 MX$2,132

100.39%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$26.37 MX$490

89.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.3 $68.3

$25.70 MX$478

165.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.53 $28.53

$30.53 MX$568

-6.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$20.49 $20.49

$4.96 MX$92.2

313.10%

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

$1,772 $1,772

$679 MX$12.6K

161.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K $20.1K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

41.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.38 $31.38

$72.2 MX$1,343

-56.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.34 $20.34

$41.94 MX$780

-51.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$107 MX$1,999

-0.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$119 MX$2,207

16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 $1,336

$1,018 MX$18.9K

31.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 $1,418

$722 MX$13.4K

96.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,818 $2,818

$1,966 MX$36.6K

43.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,416 MX$26.3K

58.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,781 $8,781

$4,203 MX$78.2K

108.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$51.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,307 $4,307

$1,096 MX$20.4K

293.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.79

-43.00%

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

Last update for Clifton, NJ: 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

Clifton, NJ

$1.4K 50%

Monterrey

$722 44% 49.1% $696

Groceries & Markets

Clifton, NJ

$468 16.5%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 35.4% $166

Eating Out

Clifton, NJ

$366 12.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 41.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Clifton, NJ

$348 12.3%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 52.1% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Clifton, NJ

$134 4.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 14.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Clifton, NJ

$70 2.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 41.8% $29

Getting Around

Clifton, NJ

$32 * 1.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 30.2% $9.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,336 in Clifton, NJ 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 Clifton, NJ are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Clifton, NJ versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Clifton, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:44 9:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

1 h behind Clifton, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,606

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Clifton, NJ Monterrey 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Clifton, NJ
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

Clifton, NJ vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,835 in Clifton, NJ, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,253 per month in Clifton, NJ 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 $1,336 in Clifton, NJ.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,835 in Clifton, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,772 per month in Clifton, NJ and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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, Clifton, NJ makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.