Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Island, NE and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,578 in Grand Island, NE, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Grand Island, NE
Learn more

Grand Island, NE Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Grand Island, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,578

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,578 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $2,578
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,745 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $3,745
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,912 per month in Grand Island, NE vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Grand Island, NE $4,912
Monterrey $3,387

Grand Island, NE costs about 61% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Grand Island, NE and Monterrey sit above the global median – Grand Island, NE by 90%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.33 $19.33

$13.80 MX$255

40.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$47.99 MX$887

58.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 $11.19

$10.65 MX$197

5.07%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$3.99 MX$73.7

26.57%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.66 MX$30.76

48.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.99 MX$18.21

107.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.36 MX$43.64

160.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$4.43 MX$81.8

57.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.82 MX$33.58

-45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.83 MX$52.4

22.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.92 MX$35.44

119.79%

Eggs

$4.10 $4.10

$2.48 MX$45.78

65.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 $12.09

$11.74 MX$217

2.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$9.10 MX$168

24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.15 $15.15

$12.53 MX$232

20.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.34 MX$61.6

50.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.57 MX$29.10

3.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$2.16 MX$39.86

98.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$2.47 MX$45.65

88.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.31 MX$42.64

21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.68 MX$49.47

6.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.46 MX$26.90

42.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.19 MX$22.07

77.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.50 $9.50

$4.75 MX$87.8

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 $13.81

$13.58 MX$251

1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.92 MX$35.52

-3.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.88 MX$53.2

13.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.79 MX$14.66

148.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.59 MX$29.44

122.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.06 MX$19.58

50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.56 $29.56

$10.80 MX$200

173.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.55 MX$28.59

-43.23%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

22.62%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

3.54%

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

$184 $184

$117 MX$2,159

57.87%

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

$53.3 $53.3

$26.38 MX$488

102.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.3 $66.3

$26.04 MX$481

154.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.18 $42.18

$30.26 MX$559

39.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$13.66 $13.66

$5.23 MX$96.6

161.19%

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

$1,284 $1,284

$673 MX$12.4K

90.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

107.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 $51.4

$72.1 MX$1,332

-28.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.71 $39.71

$42.38 MX$783

-6.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$112 MX$2,066

-23.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$119 MX$2,200

-5.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 $1,625

$949 MX$17.5K

71.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 $1,360

$666 MX$12.3K

104.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,613 $2,613

$1,821 MX$33.7K

43.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,196 $2,196

$1,271 MX$23.5K

72.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,754 $2,754

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-32.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,473 $2,473

$2,348 MX$43.4K

5.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.79

-44.78%

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

Last update for Grand Island, NE: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grand Island, NE

$1.4K 52.8%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 51% $694

Groceries & Markets

Grand Island, NE

$383 14.9%

Monterrey

$304 19% 20.5% $78

Eating Out

Grand Island, NE

$312 12.1%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 28.9% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Island, NE

$304 11.8%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 44.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Island, NE

$130 5%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 19.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Island, NE

$69 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 41.4% $29

Getting Around

Grand Island, NE

$19 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 114% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,625 in Grand Island, NE versus $949 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Grand Island, NE versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Grand Island, NE

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:31 10:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

1 h behind Grand Island, NE

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,632

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Grand Island, NE Monterrey 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Grand Island, NE
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

Grand Island, NE vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grand Island, NE is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,866 per month in Grand Island, NE and $2,399 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Grand Island, NE and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Grand Island, NE, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Grand Island, NE at $2,578. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grand Island, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Grand Island, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.