Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Independence, KS and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,974 in Independence, KS, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Independence, KS
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Independence, KS Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Independence, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,974

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,974 in Independence, KS versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Independence, KS $1,974
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,922 in Independence, KS versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Independence, KS $2,922
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,870 in Independence, KS versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Independence, KS $3,870
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Independence, KS is roughly 23% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Independence, KS 46% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.64 $19.64

$13.85 MX$256

41.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.6 $74.6

$49.70 MX$918

50.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 $11.23

$11.05 MX$204

1.63%

Cappuccino

$5.17 $5.17

$4.09 MX$75.6

26.41%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.68 MX$30.97

54.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.03 MX$18.98

99.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.40 MX$44.28

147.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 $7.46

$4.35 MX$80.3

71.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.92 MX$35.55

-47.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.94 MX$54.2

19.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.88 MX$34.66

120.21%

Eggs

$4.26 $4.26

$2.55 MX$47.06

67.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$11.84 MX$219

3.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 $10.48

$9.36 MX$173

11.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 $17.23

$13.10 MX$242

31.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$3.38 MX$62.5

52.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.52 MX$28.13

3.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.19 MX$40.51

120.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.36 MX$43.63

111.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.26 MX$41.76

7.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.73 MX$50.5

1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.52 MX$28.17

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.24 MX$22.90

104.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.32 $9.32

$4.75 MX$87.8

96.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 $14.76

$13.66 MX$252

8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.89 MX$34.95

6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.99 MX$55.2

10.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.85 MX$15.78

168.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.68 MX$30.98

98.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.13 MX$20.87

52.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.62 $25.62

$11.15 MX$206

129.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 MX$28.91

-36.54%

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

$35.5K $35.5K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

65.60%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

3.23%

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

$203 $203

$119 MX$2,206

70.22%

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

$57.2 $57.2

$26.21 MX$484

118.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$26.78 MX$495

165.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.43 $41.43

$31.03 MX$573

33.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 $13.73

$5.29 MX$97.7

159.55%

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

$1,424 $1,424

$691 MX$12.8K

106.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K $22.3K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

94.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$72.3 MX$1,335

-27.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.65 $46.65

$42.72 MX$789

9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 $89.0

$110 MX$2,024

-18.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$117 MX$2,158

-0.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 $1,621

$970 MX$17.9K

67.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 $702

$664 MX$12.3K

5.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,472 $2,472

$1,857 MX$34.3K

33.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,071 $1,071

$1,287 MX$23.8K

-16.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,763 $2,763

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-33.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,454 $2,454

$2,349 MX$43.4K

4.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,296 $5,296

$1,146 MX$21.2K

361.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Independence, KS: October 13, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Independence, KS

$702 35.6%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 5.5% $39

Groceries & Markets

Independence, KS

$397 20.1%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 21.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Independence, KS

$332 16.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 48% $159

Eating Out

Independence, KS

$316 16%

Monterrey

$225 14% 29% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Independence, KS

$137 7%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 12% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Independence, KS

$69 3.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 39.6% $27

Getting Around

Independence, KS

$21 * 1.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 97.9% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,621 in Independence, KS and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Independence, KS pays 362% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $75.0 in Independence, KS vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Independence, KS

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

06:59 6:59 AM

1 h behind Independence, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,213

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Independence, KS Monterrey 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Independence, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Independence, KS. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 362% higher in Independence, KS, 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: $1,621 in Independence, KS versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,424 in Independence, KS versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $75.0 in Independence, KS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,974 in Independence, KS, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Independence, KS. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Independence, KS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.