Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fairbanks, AK and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,834 in Fairbanks, AK, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Fairbanks, AK
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Fairbanks, AK Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Fairbanks, AK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,834

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,834 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $2,834
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,260 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $4,260
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,686 per month in Fairbanks, AK vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Fairbanks, AK $5,686
Monterrey $3,504

Fairbanks, AK costs about 73% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fairbanks, AK and Monterrey sit above the global median – Fairbanks, AK by 110%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$13.37 MX$249

88.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.1 $98.1

$47.95 MX$892

104.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$10.79 MX$201

38.83%

Cappuccino

$6.19 $6.19

$3.77 MX$70.0

64.19%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$1.51 MX$28.09

84.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.03 MX$19.14

93.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$2.48 MX$46.14

179.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 $9.96

$4.36 MX$81.0

128.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.89 MX$35.23

-40.74%

White Bread (500g)

$5.48 $5.48

$2.85 MX$53.0

92.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.86 MX$34.52

162.90%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$2.47 MX$45.86

77.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.08 $22.08

$11.81 MX$220

86.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 $9.02

$8.97 MX$167

0.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.58 $20.58

$12.57 MX$234

63.72%

Apples (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$3.20 MX$59.4

139.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.50 MX$27.96

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.12 MX$39.52

180.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.33 MX$43.39

167.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.22 MX$41.34

68.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$2.58 MX$48.07

44.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.45 MX$26.88

93.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.22 MX$22.72

61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.13 $12.13

$4.80 MX$89.2

152.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$13.30 MX$247

-10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.93 MX$35.93

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.80 MX$14.85

86.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.98 $39.98

$30.94 MX$575

29.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.83 MX$34.08

92.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.06 MX$19.66

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.88 $44.88

$10.82 MX$201

314.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.47 MX$27.39

-11.56%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

5.81%

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

$24.4K $24.4K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

3.72%

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

$209 $209

$115 MX$2,132

82.43%

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

$61.1 $61.1

$26.37 MX$490

131.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$143 $143

$25.70 MX$478

455.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 $58.6

$30.53 MX$568

91.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$18.33 $18.33

$4.96 MX$92.2

269.56%

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

$1,837 $1,837

$679 MX$12.6K

170.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K $13.2K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

-7.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 $59.2

$72.2 MX$1,343

-18.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 $40.15

$41.94 MX$780

-4.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 $122

$107 MX$1,999

13.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$119 MX$2,207

-0.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 $1,356

$1,018 MX$18.9K

33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 $1,251

$722 MX$13.4K

73.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,666 $2,666

$1,966 MX$36.6K

35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,177 $2,177

$1,416 MX$26.3K

53.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,023 $2,023

$4,203 MX$78.2K

-51.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,895 $1,895

$2,782 MX$51.7K

-31.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,096 $4,096

$1,096 MX$20.4K

273.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

11.79

-43.09%

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

Last update for Fairbanks, AK: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fairbanks, AK

$1.3K 44.1%

Monterrey

$722 44% 42.3% $529

Groceries & Markets

Fairbanks, AK

$468 * 16.5%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 35.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fairbanks, AK

$413 14.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 59.6% $246

Eating Out

Fairbanks, AK

$394 13.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 45.3% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Fairbanks, AK

$152 5.4%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.5% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Fairbanks, AK

$95 3.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 57.5% $55

Getting Around

Fairbanks, AK

$60 2.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 31.3% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,356 in Fairbanks, AK 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 Fairbanks, AK are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Fairbanks, AK versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $468 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fairbanks, AK

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

3 h ahead of Fairbanks, AK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,515

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 →

On the map

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Fairbanks, AK Monterrey 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Fairbanks, AK
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

Fairbanks, AK vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Fairbanks, AK is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,251 per month in Fairbanks, AK 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 $1,356 in Fairbanks, AK.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Fairbanks, AK, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Fairbanks, AK and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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, Fairbanks, AK makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.