Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hays, KS and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,737 in Hays, KS, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Hays, KS
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Hays, KS Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Hays, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,737

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,737 per month in Hays, KS vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Hays, KS $1,737
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $2,467 per month in Hays, KS vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Hays, KS $2,467
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $3,198 per month in Hays, KS vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Hays, KS $3,198
Monterrey $3,387

Hays, KS costs about 9% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Hays, KS and Monterrey sit above the global median – Hays, KS by 28%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 $13.33

$13.80 MX$255

-3.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 $43.87

$47.99 MX$887

-8.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 $8.11

$10.65 MX$197

-23.85%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$3.99 MX$73.7

-0.25%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$1.66 MX$30.76

43.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.99 MX$18.21

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.36 MX$43.64

63.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.43 MX$81.8

-2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.82 MX$33.58

-58.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.83 MX$52.4

-20.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.92 MX$35.44

132.29%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$2.48 MX$45.78

-16.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$11.74 MX$217

-62.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 $8.93

$9.10 MX$168

-1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$12.53 MX$232

6.38%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$3.34 MX$61.6

80.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.57 MX$29.10

4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.16 MX$39.86

134.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.47 MX$45.65

78.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.31 MX$42.64

26.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.68 MX$49.47

-19.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.46 MX$26.90

34.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.19 MX$22.07

70.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$4.75 MX$87.8

103.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 $12.15

$13.58 MX$251

-10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.92 MX$35.52

16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.88 MX$53.2

33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.79 MX$14.66

154.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.59 MX$29.44

52.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.06 MX$19.58

48.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$10.80 MX$200

267.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 MX$28.59

-40.65%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

16.22%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

6.71%

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

$269 $269

$117 MX$2,159

130.01%

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

$34.85 $34.85

$26.38 MX$488

32.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$26.04 MX$481

164.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 $45.17

$30.26 MX$559

49.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$5.23 MX$96.6

190.82%

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

$922 $922

$673 MX$12.4K

37.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K $15.7K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

41.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.68 $23.68

$72.1 MX$1,332

-67.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.82 $31.82

$42.38 MX$783

-24.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$112 MX$2,066

-2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$119 MX$2,200

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 $793

$949 MX$17.5K

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 $589

$666 MX$12.3K

-11.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 $1,034

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-43.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 $895

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-29.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-41.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$2,348 MX$43.4K

11.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,386 $2,386

$1,155 MX$21.3K

106.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.79

-43.60%

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

Last update for Hays, KS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hays, KS

$589 33.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 13.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hays, KS

$372 21.4%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 54.5% $203

Groceries & Markets

Hays, KS

$325 18.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 6.4% $21

Eating Out

Hays, KS

$220 12.7%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 0.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hays, KS

$136 7.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hays, KS

$76 4.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 46.1% $35

Getting Around

Hays, KS

$18 * 1.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 126% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $793 in Hays, KS 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.

Salaries run about 107% higher in Hays, KS, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Hays, KS versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Hays, KS vs $304 in Monterrey – so Monterrey wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hays, KS

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h behind Hays, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,726

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Hays, KS Monterrey 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hays, KS
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

Hays, KS vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hays, KS is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,605 per month in Hays, KS 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 $44.00 in Hays, KS 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 7% more in Hays, KS, 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 Hays, KS at $1,737. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hays, KS 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, Hays, KS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.