Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durham, NC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,581 in Durham, NC, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
Learn more

Durham, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,581

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,581 in Durham, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Durham, NC $2,581
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,926 in Durham, NC versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Durham, NC $3,926
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,272 in Durham, NC versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Durham, NC $5,272
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Durham, NC is roughly 57% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Durham, NC 91% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.26 $15.26

$13.37 MX$250

14.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 $106

$47.95 MX$897

120.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 $9.87

$10.79 MX$202

-8.53%

Cappuccino

$4.89 $4.89

$3.77 MX$70.4

29.71%

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

$3.19 $3.19

$1.51 MX$28.26

111.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.03 MX$19.25

99.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.48 MX$46.41

144.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 $7.09

$4.36 MX$81.5

62.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.89 MX$35.43

-40.74%

White Bread (500g)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.85 MX$53.3

72.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.26 $11.26

$1.86 MX$34.71

505.38%

Eggs

$5.95 $5.95

$2.47 MX$46.12

140.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 $19.07

$11.81 MX$221

61.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$8.97 MX$168

90.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.97 $26.97

$12.57 MX$235

114.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.20 MX$59.8

75.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.50 MX$28.12

23.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.41 $8.41

$2.12 MX$39.74

296.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.33 MX$43.64

154.94%

Potato (1kg)

$6.94 $6.94

$2.22 MX$41.58

212.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.58 MX$48.34

52.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.45 MX$27.04

82.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.22 MX$22.85

68.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.80 MX$89.7

83.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$13.30 MX$249

11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.93 MX$36.14

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.86 MX$53.4

38.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.83 MX$34.28

98.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.06 MX$19.78

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.47 MX$27.54

-27.89%

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

$31.4K $31.4K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

30.43%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

9.06%

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

$228 $228

$115 MX$2,144

99.17%

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

$75.6 $75.6

$26.37 MX$493

186.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$25.70 MX$481

174.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 $51.5

$30.53 MX$571

68.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.10 $14.10

$4.96 MX$92.8

184.27%

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

$1,619 $1,619

$679 MX$12.7K

138.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K $30.3K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

113.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 $59.8

$72.2 MX$1,350

-17.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 $39.46

$41.94 MX$784

-5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$107 MX$2,011

-5.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$119 MX$2,219

15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 $1,526

$1,018 MX$19.0K

49.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 $1,125

$722 MX$13.5K

55.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 $2,254

$1,966 MX$36.8K

14.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,416 MX$26.5K

35.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,533 $3,533

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-15.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,485 $2,485

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-10.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,538 $4,538

$1,096 MX$20.5K

314.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.79

-42.75%

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

Last update for Durham, NC: 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

Durham, NC

$1.1K 43.6%

Monterrey

$722 44% 35.8% $403

Groceries & Markets

Durham, NC

$564 21.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 46.5% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durham, NC

$374 14.5%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 55.5% $208

Eating Out

Durham, NC

$276 10.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 21.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Durham, NC

$152 5.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Durham, NC

$80 3.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 49.2% $39

Getting Around

Durham, NC

$9.8 * 0.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 323% $32

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 $1,526 in Durham, NC and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $106 in Durham, NC vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $564 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

14:11 2:11 PM

1 h behind Durham, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

283,506

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

Durham, NC Monterrey 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Durham, NC
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

Durham, NC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Durham, NC. 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 Durham, NC is about 4.1 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: $1,526 in Durham, NC versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,581 per month in Durham, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value at $1,641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Durham, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.