Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Park, MD and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,372 in College Park, MD, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

161

Cost of Living Index in College Park, MD
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College Park, MD Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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College Park, MD

🇺🇸 United States

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,372 per month in College Park, MD vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

College Park, MD $3,372
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,595 per month in College Park, MD vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

College Park, MD $4,595
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,818 per month in College Park, MD vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

College Park, MD $5,818
Monterrey $3,504

College Park, MD costs about 106% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both College Park, MD and Monterrey sit above the global median – College Park, MD by 149%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$13.37 MX$250

17.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$47.95 MX$897

45.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$10.79 MX$202

-7.60%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$3.77 MX$70.4

19.63%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.51 MX$28.26

77.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.03 MX$19.25

67.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.64 $6.64

$2.48 MX$46.41

167.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.36 MX$81.5

35.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.89 MX$35.43

-55.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.85 MX$53.3

-8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$1.86 MX$34.71

203.76%

Eggs

$2.07 $2.07

$2.47 MX$46.12

-16.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.63 $6.63

$11.81 MX$221

-43.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 $6.43

$8.97 MX$168

-28.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.47 $20.47

$12.57 MX$235

62.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 $6.75

$3.20 MX$59.8

110.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.50 MX$28.12

96.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.25 $7.25

$2.12 MX$39.74

241.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.33 MX$43.64

136.91%

Potato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$2.22 MX$41.58

118.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.58 MX$48.34

29.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.45 MX$27.04

-29.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.22 MX$22.85

163.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$4.80 MX$89.7

101.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.80 $11.80

$13.30 MX$249

-11.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.93 MX$36.14

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.86 MX$53.4

29.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.80 MX$14.94

268.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.83 MX$34.28

170.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.06 MX$19.78

50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.18 $25.18

$10.82 MX$202

132.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.47 MX$27.54

-33.33%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

27.48%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

9.21%

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

$243 $243

$115 MX$2,144

111.91%

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

$50.4 $50.4

$26.37 MX$493

90.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$25.70 MX$481

166.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.47 $39.47

$30.53 MX$571

29.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.93 $14.93

$4.96 MX$92.8

201.01%

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

$1,982 $1,982

$679 MX$12.7K

192.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K $32.8K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

131.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.58 $47.58

$72.2 MX$1,350

-34.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.92 $31.92

$41.94 MX$784

-23.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$107 MX$2,011

9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$119 MX$2,219

13.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,325 $2,325

$1,018 MX$19.0K

128.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,105 $2,105

$722 MX$13.5K

191.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,620 $3,620

$1,966 MX$36.8K

84.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,090 $3,090

$1,416 MX$26.5K

118.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,451 $6,451

$1,096 MX$20.5K

488.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.23

11.79

-47.16%

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

Last update for College Park, MD: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Park, MD

$2.1K 62.4%

Monterrey

$722 44% 65.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

College Park, MD

$390 11.6%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 22.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Park, MD

$362 10.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.9% $195

Eating Out

College Park, MD

$272 8.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 20.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

College Park, MD

$149 4.4%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 2.8% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

College Park, MD

$69 2.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 41.7% $29

Getting Around

College Park, MD

$25 * 0.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 66.7% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,325 in College Park, MD 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 College Park, MD are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in College Park, MD versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Park, MD

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h behind College Park, MD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,740

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

College Park, MD Monterrey 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

College Park, MD
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

College Park, MD vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,372 in College Park, MD, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,059 per month in College Park, MD 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 $2,325 in College Park, MD.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,372 in College Park, MD and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,982 per month in College Park, MD and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in College Park, MD at $3,372. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in College Park, MD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, College Park, MD makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.