Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jacksonville, NC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,485 in Jacksonville, NC, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Jacksonville, NC
Learn more

Jacksonville, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Jacksonville, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,485

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,485 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Jacksonville, NC $2,485
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,547 in Jacksonville, NC versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Jacksonville, NC $3,547
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,610 in Jacksonville, NC versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Jacksonville, NC $4,610
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Jacksonville, NC is roughly 51% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jacksonville, NC 84% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.76 $15.76

$13.37 MX$250

17.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$47.95 MX$897

33.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.79 MX$202

-6.58%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$3.77 MX$70.4

22.81%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.51 MX$28.26

68.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.03 MX$19.25

89.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.48 MX$46.41

102.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.36 MX$81.5

64.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.89 MX$35.43

-40.74%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.85 MX$53.3

50.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$1.86 MX$34.71

508.60%

Eggs

$5.92 $5.92

$2.47 MX$46.12

139.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$11.81 MX$221

61.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.92 $16.92

$8.97 MX$168

88.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.75 $23.75

$12.57 MX$235

88.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.20 MX$59.8

84.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.50 MX$28.12

17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$2.12 MX$39.74

293.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.33 MX$43.64

167.38%

Potato (1kg)

$6.79 $6.79

$2.22 MX$41.58

205.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.58 MX$48.34

53.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.45 MX$27.04

82.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.22 MX$22.85

67.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 $8.89

$4.80 MX$89.7

85.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.30 $15.30

$13.30 MX$249

15.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.93 MX$36.14

-11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 $3.83

$2.86 MX$53.4

33.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.80 MX$14.94

88.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 $90.1

$30.94 MX$579

191.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.83 MX$34.28

92.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.06 MX$19.78

48.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.47 MX$27.54

-34.69%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

10.66%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

8.86%

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

$120 $120

$115 MX$2,144

4.72%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$26.37 MX$493

188.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.8 $69.8

$25.70 MX$481

171.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.19 $31.19

$30.53 MX$571

2.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.72 $1.72

$21.27 MX$398

-91.91%

Cinema Ticket

$15.54 $15.54

$4.96 MX$92.8

213.31%

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

$799 $799

$679 MX$12.7K

17.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,296 $7,296

$14.2K MX$265.3K

-48.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$72.2 MX$1,350

-16.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.88 $39.88

$41.94 MX$784

-4.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$107 MX$2,011

-2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$119 MX$2,219

16.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 $1,337

$1,018 MX$19.0K

31.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 $1,075

$722 MX$13.5K

49.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 $1,871

$1,966 MX$36.8K

-4.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 $1,446

$1,416 MX$26.5K

2.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,047 $2,047

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-51.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,820 $1,820

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-34.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,238 $2,238

$1,096 MX$20.5K

104.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.79

-45.97%

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

Last update for Jacksonville, NC: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jacksonville, NC

$1.1K 43.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 32.9% $354

Groceries & Markets

Jacksonville, NC

$551 22.2%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 45.2% $249

Eating Out

Jacksonville, NC

$269 10.8%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 19.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jacksonville, NC

$266 10.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 37.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Jacksonville, NC

$154 6.2%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Jacksonville, NC

$108 4.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 61.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Jacksonville, NC

$62 2.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 35.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,337 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jacksonville, NC pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Jacksonville, NC vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $551 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jacksonville, NC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

15:11 3:11 PM

1 h behind Jacksonville, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

949,611

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jacksonville, NC Monterrey 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jacksonville, NC
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, NC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,485 in Jacksonville, NC and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Jacksonville, NC is about 2 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: $1,337 in Jacksonville, NC versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 66% less than in Jacksonville, NC. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $799 in Jacksonville, NC versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Jacksonville, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.