Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Islip, NY and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Islip, NY: $1,258 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monterrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Islip, NY
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Islip, NY Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Islip, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,258 in Islip, NY versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Islip, NY $1,258
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,199 in Islip, NY versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Islip, NY $2,199
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,140 in Islip, NY versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Islip, NY $3,140
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Islip, NY costs roughly 23% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Islip, NY is 7% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.10 $26.10

$13.37 MX$250

95.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 $119

$47.95 MX$897

147.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.94 $13.94

$10.79 MX$202

29.19%

Cappuccino

$5.02 $5.02

$3.77 MX$70.4

33.16%

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

$2.94 $2.94

$1.51 MX$28.26

94.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.03 MX$19.25

118.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.48 MX$46.41

218.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$4.36 MX$81.5

128.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.89 MX$35.43

-31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.85 MX$53.3

52.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$1.86 MX$34.71

126.34%

Eggs

$5.27 $5.27

$2.47 MX$46.12

113.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.73 $19.73

$11.81 MX$221

67.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.21 $18.21

$8.97 MX$168

103.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.38 $16.38

$12.57 MX$235

30.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$3.20 MX$59.8

36.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.50 MX$28.12

-15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.12 MX$39.74

6.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.33 MX$43.64

22.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.22 MX$41.58

-23.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.58 MX$48.34

-12.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.45 MX$27.04

7.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.22 MX$22.85

-9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.93 $14.93

$4.80 MX$89.7

211.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$13.30 MX$249

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.93 MX$36.14

20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.86 MX$53.4

40.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.39 $4.39

$0.80 MX$14.94

448.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.83 MX$34.28

62.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.06 MX$19.78

106.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.68 $41.68

$10.82 MX$202

285.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.47 MX$27.54

-23.13%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

12.82%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

12.31%

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

$78.1 $78.1

$115 MX$2,144

-31.84%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$26.37 MX$493

160.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$25.70 MX$481

169.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 $60.1

$30.53 MX$571

96.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 $15.81

$4.96 MX$92.8

218.75%

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

$3,515 $3,515

$679 MX$12.7K

418.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$47.8K $47.8K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

236.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.53 $45.53

$72.2 MX$1,350

-36.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.39 $27.39

$41.94 MX$784

-34.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 $75.5

$107 MX$2,011

-29.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 $89.3

$119 MX$2,219

-24.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,015 $2,015

$1,018 MX$19.0K

98.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,377 $3,377

$1,966 MX$36.8K

71.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,003 $4,003

$1,096 MX$20.5K

265.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

11.79

-43.77%

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

Last update for Islip, NY: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Islip, NY

$421 33.5%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 28.3% $119

Eating Out

Islip, NY

$391 31.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 44.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Islip, NY

$216 17.2%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 22.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Islip, NY

$107 8.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 43.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Islip, NY

$92 7.3%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 55.9% $51

Getting Around

Islip, NY

$32 * 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 31% $9.8

Accommodation & Living

Islip, NY

- * 0%

Monterrey

$722 44%

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 $2,015 in Islip, NY and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Islip, NY pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $119 in Islip, NY vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $421 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Islip, NY

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

11:07 11:07 AM

10:07 10:07 AM

1 h behind Islip, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

339,938

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Islip, NY Monterrey 3,010 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Islip, NY
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

Islip, NY vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Islip, NY is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Islip, NY is about 3.7 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: $2,015 in Islip, NY versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,515 in Islip, NY versus $679 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 $48 versus $119 in Islip, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,258 in Islip, NY versus $1,641 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Islip, NY but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Islip, NY the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.