Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, FL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,484 in Jacksonville, FL, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jacksonville, FL, United States
Monterrey, Mexico
Jacksonville, FL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,484
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,484 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Jacksonville, FL $2,484
  • Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,760 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Jacksonville, FL $3,760
  • Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,036 per month in Jacksonville, FL vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Jacksonville, FL $5,036
  • Monterrey $3,504

Jacksonville, FL costs about 51% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jacksonville, FL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Jacksonville, FL by 84%, Monterrey by 21%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.01 $20.01
$13.37 MX$250
49.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$102 $102
$47.95 MX$897
111.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.33 $11.33
$10.79 MX$202
5.00%
Cappuccino
$5.69 $5.69
$3.77 MX$70.4
50.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.14 $3.14
$1.51 MX$28.26
107.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.03 MX$19.25
118.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.05 $5.05
$2.48 MX$46.41
103.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.16 $7.16
$4.36 MX$81.5
64.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.89 MX$35.43
-46.56%
White Bread (500g)
$3.11 $3.11
$2.85 MX$53.3
9.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.83 $3.83
$1.86 MX$34.71
105.91%
Eggs
$4.44 $4.44
$2.47 MX$46.12
79.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.22 $14.22
$11.81 MX$221
20.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.86 $9.86
$8.97 MX$168
9.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.88 $15.88
$12.57 MX$235
26.33%
Apples (1kg)
$4.63 $4.63
$3.20 MX$59.8
44.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.50 MX$28.12
-3.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.83 $3.83
$2.12 MX$39.74
80.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.59 $4.59
$2.33 MX$43.64
97.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.91 $2.91
$2.22 MX$41.58
31.08%
Onion (1kg)
$3.14 $3.14
$2.58 MX$48.34
21.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.61 $2.61
$1.45 MX$27.04
80.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.39 $2.39
$1.22 MX$22.85
95.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.39 $9.39
$4.80 MX$89.7
95.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.33 $15.33
$13.30 MX$249
15.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.93 MX$36.14
11.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 $3.08
$2.86 MX$53.4
7.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.78 $1.78
$0.80 MX$14.94
122.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.5 $65.5
$30.94 MX$579
111.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.83 MX$34.28
-16.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 $1.16
$1.06 MX$19.78
9.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.94 $13.94
$10.82 MX$202
28.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.47 MX$27.54
-25.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.9K $30.9K
$24.1K MX$450.4K
28.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K $26.6K
$23.5K MX$440.2K
12.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$216 $216
$115 MX$2,144
88.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.6 $62.6
$26.37 MX$493
137.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.7 $67.7
$25.70 MX$481
163.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.78 $34.78
$30.53 MX$571
13.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.28 $6.28
$21.27 MX$398
-70.47%
Cinema Ticket
$14.69 $14.69
$4.96 MX$92.8
196.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,289 $1,289
$679 MX$12.7K
89.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.8K $20.8K
$14.2K MX$265.3K
46.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.7 $63.7
$72.2 MX$1,350
-11.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$48.12 $48.12
$41.94 MX$784
14.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 $112
$107 MX$2,011
3.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$153 $153
$119 MX$2,219
29.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,664 $1,664
$1,018 MX$19.0K
63.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,115 $1,115
$722 MX$13.5K
54.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,607 $2,607
$1,966 MX$36.8K
32.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,910 $1,910
$1,416 MX$26.5K
34.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,370 $2,370
$4,203 MX$78.6K
-43.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,110 $2,110
$2,782 MX$52.0K
-24.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Jacksonville, FL
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,063 $4,063
$1,096 MX$20.5K
270.81%
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 Jacksonville, FL: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Jacksonville, FL
$1.1K
Monterrey
$722 35.3% $394
Groceries & Markets
Jacksonville, FL
$386
Monterrey
$302 21.7% $84
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jacksonville, FL
$346
Monterrey
$167 51.8% $179
Eating Out
Jacksonville, FL
$323
Monterrey
$216 33.3% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Jacksonville, FL
$170
Monterrey
$153 9.7% $16
Getting Around
Jacksonville, FL
$80
Monterrey
$41 48.4% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Jacksonville, FL
$64
Monterrey
$40 37% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,664 in Jacksonville, FL 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 Jacksonville, FL are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Jacksonville, FL
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
13:56 1:56 PM
12:56 12:56 PM
1 h behind Jacksonville, FL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
949,611
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Jacksonville, FL Monterrey 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Jacksonville, FL
  • 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
Jacksonville, FL vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Jacksonville, FL or Monterrey?
Jacksonville, FL costs about 51% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Jacksonville, FL and in Monterrey?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,726 per month in Jacksonville, FL and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Jacksonville, FL or Monterrey?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,664 in Jacksonville, FL.
How do dining costs compare in Jacksonville, FL and in Monterrey?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Jacksonville, FL and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Jacksonville, FL compared to Monterrey?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,484 in Jacksonville, FL and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 34% cheaper.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Jacksonville, FL or in Monterrey?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,484 in Jacksonville, FL and $1,641 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Should I move to Jacksonville, FL or to Monterrey?
If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jacksonville, FL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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