Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Covington, LA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,657 in Covington, LA, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Covington, LA
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Covington, LA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Covington, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,657

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,657 in Covington, LA versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Covington, LA $2,657
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,774 in Covington, LA versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Covington, LA $3,774
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,890 in Covington, LA versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Covington, LA $4,890
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Covington, LA is roughly 66% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Covington, LA 96% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.71 $18.71

$13.80 MX$255

35.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$47.99 MX$887

15.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 $11.85

$10.65 MX$197

11.27%

Cappuccino

$3.10 $3.10

$3.99 MX$73.7

-22.31%

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

$1.79 $1.79

$1.66 MX$30.76

7.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 $1.42

$0.99 MX$18.21

43.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.36 MX$43.64

70.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 $5.23

$4.43 MX$81.8

18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.82 MX$33.58

-51.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.83 MX$52.4

22.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.92 MX$35.44

41.67%

Eggs

$3.25 $3.25

$2.48 MX$45.78

31.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$11.74 MX$217

-56.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$9.10 MX$168

-20.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 $13.76

$12.53 MX$232

9.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.34 MX$61.6

23.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.57 MX$29.10

-49.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.16 MX$39.86

20.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.47 MX$45.65

68.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.31 MX$42.64

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.68 MX$49.47

0.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.46 MX$26.90

44.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.19 MX$22.07

84.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.00 $9.00

$4.75 MX$87.8

89.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$13.58 MX$251

11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.92 MX$35.52

1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.88 MX$53.2

35.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.59 MX$29.44

60.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.06 MX$19.58

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.85 $25.85

$10.80 MX$200

139.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 MX$28.59

-35.48%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

52.54%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

7.06%

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

$302 $302

$117 MX$2,159

158.76%

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

$50.3 $50.3

$26.38 MX$488

90.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$26.04 MX$481

171.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 $64.8

$30.26 MX$559

114.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$10.33 $10.33

$5.23 MX$96.6

97.51%

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

$613 $613

$673 MX$12.4K

-8.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K $14.0K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.59 $46.59

$72.1 MX$1,332

-35.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.91 $39.91

$42.38 MX$783

-5.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 $83.6

$112 MX$2,066

-25.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.7 $96.7

$119 MX$2,200

-18.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 $1,693

$949 MX$17.5K

78.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 $1,440

$666 MX$12.3K

116.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,233 $3,233

$1,821 MX$33.7K

77.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,433 $2,433

$1,271 MX$23.5K

91.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,853 $6,853

$4,050 MX$74.8K

69.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,051 $4,051

$2,348 MX$43.4K

72.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,813 $4,813

$1,155 MX$21.3K

316.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.79

-44.53%

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

Last update for Covington, LA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Covington, LA

$1.4K 54.2%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 53.7% $773

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Covington, LA

$423 15.9%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 60% $254

Groceries & Markets

Covington, LA

$313 11.8%

Monterrey

$304 19% 2.6% $8.2

Eating Out

Covington, LA

$266 10%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 16.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Covington, LA

$120 4.5%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 29.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Covington, LA

$85 3.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 52.3% $45

Getting Around

Covington, LA

$10 * 0.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 295% $31

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 $1,693 in Covington, LA and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Covington, LA pays 317% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56.0 in Covington, LA vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Covington, LA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h behind Covington, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,870

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Covington, LA Monterrey 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Covington, LA
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

Covington, LA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 317% higher in Covington, LA, 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: $1,693 in Covington, LA versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Covington, LA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,657 per month in Covington, LA versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,657 in Covington, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Covington, LA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Monterrey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Covington, LA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Covington, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.