Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elizabeth, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Elizabeth, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,203

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Elizabeth, NJ $3,203
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,457 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Elizabeth, NJ $4,457
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,710 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Elizabeth, NJ $5,710
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Elizabeth, NJ is roughly 95% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Elizabeth, NJ 137% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$13.37 MX$250

48.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$47.95 MX$897

69.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$10.79 MX$202

12.88%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$3.77 MX$70.4

48.81%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.51 MX$28.26

62.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.03 MX$19.25

49.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.19 $8.19

$2.48 MX$46.41

230.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 $6.86

$4.36 MX$81.5

57.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.89 MX$35.43

-31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.85 MX$53.3

58.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.86 MX$34.71

229.03%

Eggs

$6.55 $6.55

$2.47 MX$46.12

165.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 $15.60

$11.81 MX$221

32.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.10 $10.10

$8.97 MX$168

12.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.81 $19.81

$12.57 MX$235

57.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$3.20 MX$59.8

92.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$1.50 MX$28.12

139.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.12 MX$39.74

105.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$2.33 MX$43.64

121.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.22 MX$41.58

40.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.58 MX$48.34

20.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.45 MX$27.04

100.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.22 MX$22.85

108.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.85 $14.85

$4.80 MX$89.7

209.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$13.30 MX$249

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.93 MX$36.14

45.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.86 MX$53.4

15.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 $2.90

$0.80 MX$14.94

262.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 $77.9

$30.94 MX$579

151.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.83 MX$34.28

63.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.06 MX$19.78

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.65 $42.65

$10.82 MX$202

294.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.47 MX$27.54

-22.45%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

14.40%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

9.34%

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

$222 $222

$115 MX$2,144

93.55%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$26.37 MX$493

92.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 $50.2

$25.70 MX$481

95.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 $39.22

$30.53 MX$571

28.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$19.94 $19.94

$4.96 MX$92.8

302.02%

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

$1,726 $1,726

$679 MX$12.7K

154.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

43.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 $50.5

$72.2 MX$1,350

-30.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.2 $76.2

$41.94 MX$784

81.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 $87.5

$107 MX$2,011

-18.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$119 MX$2,219

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 $2,111

$1,018 MX$19.0K

107.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 $1,745

$722 MX$13.5K

141.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,968 $2,968

$1,966 MX$36.8K

50.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 $2,477

$1,416 MX$26.5K

75.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,801 $2,801

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-33.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,296 $2,296

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-17.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,926 $3,926

$1,096 MX$20.5K

258.31%

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 Elizabeth, NJ: 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

Elizabeth, NJ

$1.7K 54.5%

Monterrey

$722 44% 58.6% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Elizabeth, NJ

$469 14.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 35.6% $167

Eating Out

Elizabeth, NJ

$334 10.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 35.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elizabeth, NJ

$323 10.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 48.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Elizabeth, NJ

$150 4.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 2.2% $3.3

Getting Around

Elizabeth, NJ

$103 3.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 60% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Elizabeth, NJ

$79 2.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 48.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,111 in Elizabeth, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elizabeth, NJ pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Elizabeth, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $469 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elizabeth, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

1 h behind Elizabeth, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,179

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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Elizabeth, NJ Monterrey 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Elizabeth, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Elizabeth, NJ is about 3.6 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: $2,111 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,726 in Elizabeth, NJ versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Elizabeth, NJ. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,203 in Elizabeth, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Elizabeth, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 49% less than in Elizabeth, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.