Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dayton, OH and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,186 in Dayton, OH, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Dayton, OH
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Dayton, OH Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Dayton, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Dayton, OH versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Dayton, OH $2,186
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,230 in Dayton, OH versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Dayton, OH $3,230
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,274 in Dayton, OH versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Dayton, OH $4,274
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Dayton, OH is roughly 33% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dayton, OH 62% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 $14.24

$13.37 MX$249

6.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 $69.4

$47.95 MX$892

44.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$10.79 MX$201

-6.95%

Cappuccino

$4.04 $4.04

$3.77 MX$70.0

7.16%

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

$2.23 $2.23

$1.51 MX$28.09

47.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.03 MX$19.14

76.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.48 MX$46.14

80.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 $5.92

$4.36 MX$81.0

35.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.89 MX$35.23

-60.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.85 MX$53.0

-2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$1.86 MX$34.52

100.54%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$2.47 MX$45.86

47.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 $13.71

$11.81 MX$220

16.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.02 $25.02

$8.97 MX$167

178.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.20 $17.20

$12.57 MX$234

36.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 $5.98

$3.20 MX$59.4

86.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.50 MX$27.96

24.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.91 $6.91

$2.12 MX$39.52

225.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.33 MX$43.39

130.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.22 MX$41.34

19.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.58 MX$48.07

17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.45 MX$26.88

53.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.22 MX$22.72

122.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 $9.98

$4.80 MX$89.2

107.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.14 $19.14

$13.30 MX$247

43.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.93 MX$35.93

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.86 MX$53.1

18.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 $3.29

$0.80 MX$14.85

311.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.0 $59.0

$30.94 MX$575

90.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.83 MX$34.08

177.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.06 MX$19.66

76.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.83 $49.83

$10.82 MX$201

360.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 MX$27.39

-25.85%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

14.05%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

13.54%

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

$200 $200

$115 MX$2,132

74.56%

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

$51.6 $51.6

$26.37 MX$490

95.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 $57.2

$25.70 MX$478

122.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.02 $32.02

$30.53 MX$568

4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.46 $44.46

$21.27 MX$396

109.03%

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$4.96 MX$92.2

192.74%

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

$532 $532

$679 MX$12.6K

-21.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K $10.8K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

-23.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.50 $40.50

$72.2 MX$1,343

-43.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.67 $48.67

$41.94 MX$780

16.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 $70.9

$107 MX$1,999

-34.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$119 MX$2,207

1.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$1,018 MX$18.9K

26.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$873 $873

$722 MX$13.4K

21.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,878 $1,878

$1,966 MX$36.6K

-4.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,331 $1,331

$1,416 MX$26.3K

-5.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,215 $2,215

$4,203 MX$78.2K

-47.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,314 $1,314

$2,782 MX$51.7K

-52.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,540 $3,540

$1,096 MX$20.4K

223.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

11.79

-42.83%

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

Last update for Dayton, OH: 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

Dayton, OH

$873 39.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 17.4% $152

Groceries & Markets

Dayton, OH

$487 22.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 38% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dayton, OH

$309 14.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 46% $142

Eating Out

Dayton, OH

$243 11.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 11.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Dayton, OH

$126 5.8%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 21.2% $27

Getting Around

Dayton, OH

$87 4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 52.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Dayton, OH

$61 2.8%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 33.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,292 in Dayton, OH and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dayton, OH pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $69 in Dayton, OH vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $487 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dayton, OH

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

21:39 9:39 PM

1 h behind Dayton, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,771

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 →

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Dayton, OH Monterrey 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dayton, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Dayton, OH. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Dayton, OH is about 3.2 times higher, 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: $1,292 in Dayton, OH versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,186 per month in Dayton, OH versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 48% less than in Dayton, OH. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Dayton, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.