Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilton Head Island, SC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,962 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Hilton Head Island, SC
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Hilton Head Island, SC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Hilton Head Island, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,962

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,962 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Hilton Head Island, SC $2,962
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $2,701 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Hilton Head Island, SC $2,701
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $2,440 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Hilton Head Island, SC $2,440
Monterrey $3,504

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 80% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hilton Head Island, SC and Monterrey sit above the global median – Hilton Head Island, SC by 119%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.95 $19.95

$13.37 MX$251

49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 $60.3

$47.95 MX$900

25.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 $11.56

$10.79 MX$203

7.14%

Cappuccino

$4.96 $4.96

$3.77 MX$70.7

31.56%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.51 MX$28.37

92.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.03 MX$19.33

92.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$2.48 MX$46.60

96.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.09 $6.09

$4.36 MX$81.8

39.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.89 MX$35.58

-60.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.85 MX$53.5

9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 $3.66

$1.86 MX$34.86

96.77%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$2.47 MX$46.31

15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 $8.66

$11.81 MX$222

-26.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.73 $9.73

$8.97 MX$168

8.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 $13.25

$12.57 MX$236

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.20 MX$60.0

44.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.50 MX$28.23

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$2.12 MX$39.90

83.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 $4.53

$2.33 MX$43.82

94.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.22 MX$41.75

31.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.58 MX$48.54

19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.45 MX$27.15

82.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.22 MX$22.94

94.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.21 $9.21

$4.80 MX$90.1

91.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.75 $14.75

$13.30 MX$250

10.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.93 MX$36.28

11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.86 MX$53.6

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.83 MX$34.42

-20.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.06 MX$19.86

7.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.60 $13.60

$10.82 MX$203

25.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.47 MX$27.65

-37.41%

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

$31.8K $31.8K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

32.12%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

13.37%

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

$212 $212

$115 MX$2,152

84.77%

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

$54.3 $54.3

$26.37 MX$495

105.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$25.70 MX$483

170.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.76 $19.76

$30.53 MX$573

-35.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$14.77 $14.77

$4.96 MX$93.1

197.78%

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

$1,321 $1,321

$679 MX$12.7K

94.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

46.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.56 $34.56

$72.2 MX$1,356

-52.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.03 $35.03

$41.94 MX$788

-16.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 $79.0

$107 MX$2,019

-26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 $69.2

$119 MX$2,228

-41.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,165 $2,165

$1,018 MX$19.1K

112.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$722 MX$13.6K

151.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 $2,310

$1,966 MX$36.9K

17.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,599 $3,599

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-14.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,511 $3,511

$2,782 MX$52.2K

26.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,414 $3,414

$1,096 MX$20.6K

211.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.88

11.79

-41.65%

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

Last update for Hilton Head Island, SC: 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

Hilton Head Island, SC

$1.8K 61.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 60.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Hilton Head Island, SC

$350 11.8%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 13.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilton Head Island, SC

$336 11.3%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 50.3% $169

Eating Out

Hilton Head Island, SC

$310 10.5%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 30.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Hilton Head Island, SC

$98 3.3%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 56.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Hilton Head Island, SC

$49 1.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 18% $8.9

Getting Around

Hilton Head Island, SC

$7.2 * 0.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 476% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,165 in Hilton Head Island, SC 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 Hilton Head Island, SC are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Hilton Head Island, SC versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hilton Head Island, SC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

1 h behind Hilton Head Island, SC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,512

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hilton Head Island, SC Monterrey 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hilton Head Island, SC
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

Hilton Head Island, SC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 80% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,442 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC 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 $2,165 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,962 in Hilton Head Island, SC and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,321 per month in Hilton Head Island, SC and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing 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, Hilton Head Island, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.