Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Lee, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,905 in Fort Lee, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Fort Lee, NJ
Learn more

Fort Lee, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Fort Lee, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,905

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,905 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Fort Lee, NJ $3,905
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,215 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Fort Lee, NJ $6,215
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,525 in Fort Lee, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Fort Lee, NJ $8,525
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Fort Lee, NJ is roughly 138% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort Lee, NJ 189% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.72 $24.72

$13.37 MX$250

84.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.9 $82.9

$47.95 MX$897

72.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$10.79 MX$202

3.52%

Cappuccino

$5.54 $5.54

$3.77 MX$70.4

46.95%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$1.51 MX$28.26

46.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.03 MX$19.25

55.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 $7.88

$2.48 MX$46.41

217.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.99 $7.99

$4.36 MX$81.5

83.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.89 MX$35.43

-30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.85 MX$53.3

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.71 $6.71

$1.86 MX$34.71

260.75%

Eggs

$4.69 $4.69

$2.47 MX$46.12

89.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$11.81 MX$221

5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.30 $16.30

$8.97 MX$168

81.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$12.57 MX$235

35.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$3.20 MX$59.8

70.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.50 MX$28.12

14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.39 $6.39

$2.12 MX$39.74

201.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.33 MX$43.64

139.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.22 MX$41.58

78.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$2.58 MX$48.34

45.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.45 MX$27.04

92.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.22 MX$22.85

119.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.72 $11.72

$4.80 MX$89.7

144.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 $11.89

$13.30 MX$249

-10.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.93 MX$36.14

-11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.86 MX$53.4

-28.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.80 MX$14.94

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$134 $134

$30.94 MX$579

334.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.83 MX$34.28

62.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.06 MX$19.78

88.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 $23.88

$10.82 MX$202

120.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.47 MX$27.54

-40.82%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

17.50%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

11.16%

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

$211 $211

$115 MX$2,144

84.22%

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

$75.4 $75.4

$26.37 MX$493

186.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$25.70 MX$481

156.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$127 $127

$30.53 MX$571

314.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.58 $14.58

$4.96 MX$92.8

193.95%

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

$2,008 $2,008

$679 MX$12.7K

195.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

79.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.02 $41.02

$72.2 MX$1,350

-43.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 $57.4

$41.94 MX$784

36.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$107 MX$2,011

-29.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.0 $86.0

$119 MX$2,219

-27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,887 $2,887

$1,018 MX$19.0K

183.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,295 $2,295

$722 MX$13.5K

218.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,408 $6,408

$1,966 MX$36.8K

225.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,981 $4,981

$1,416 MX$26.5K

251.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,254 $4,254

$4,203 MX$78.6K

1.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,836 $3,836

$2,782 MX$52.0K

37.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,563 $6,563

$1,096 MX$20.5K

498.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

11.79

-42.66%

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

Last update for Fort Lee, NJ: 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

Fort Lee, NJ

$2.3K 58.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 68.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Fort Lee, NJ

$457 11.7%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 33.9% $155

Eating Out

Fort Lee, NJ

$368 9.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 41.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Lee, NJ

$353 9%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 52.7% $186

Getting Around

Fort Lee, NJ

$159 4.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 74% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Lee, NJ

$156 4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 74% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Lee, NJ

$117 3%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 30.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,887 in Fort Lee, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Lee, NJ pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Fort Lee, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $457 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Lee, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

1 h behind Fort Lee, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,008

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

Fort Lee, NJ Monterrey 2,960 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Lee, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Fort Lee, NJ. 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 Fort Lee, NJ is about 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: $2,887 in Fort Lee, NJ 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 $3,905 per month in Fort Lee, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 77% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,905 in Fort Lee, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Fort Lee, NJ. 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 Fort Lee, NJ, 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 58% less than in Fort Lee, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.