Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jersey City, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,659 in Jersey City, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Jersey City, NJ
Learn more

Jersey City, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Jersey City, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,659

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,659 in Jersey City, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Jersey City, NJ $3,659
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,276 in Jersey City, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Jersey City, NJ $5,276
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,892 in Jersey City, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Jersey City, NJ $6,892
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Jersey City, NJ is roughly 123% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jersey City, NJ 171% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$13.37 MX$249

83.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$47.95 MX$892

108.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 $10.96

$10.79 MX$201

1.58%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.77 MX$70.0

43.24%

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

$2.16 $2.16

$1.51 MX$28.09

43.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.03 MX$19.14

55.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$2.48 MX$46.14

218.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$4.36 MX$81.0

85.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.89 MX$35.23

-32.28%

White Bread (500g)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.85 MX$53.0

54.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$1.86 MX$34.52

302.15%

Eggs

$5.89 $5.89

$2.47 MX$45.86

138.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$11.81 MX$220

4.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.97 $15.97

$8.97 MX$167

78.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 $17.37

$12.57 MX$234

38.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$3.20 MX$59.4

70.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.50 MX$27.96

14.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.47 $6.47

$2.12 MX$39.52

205.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.23 $6.23

$2.33 MX$43.39

167.38%

Potato (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.22 MX$41.34

142.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.58 MX$48.07

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.45 MX$26.88

93.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.22 MX$22.72

139.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$4.80 MX$89.2

146.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.09 $24.09

$13.30 MX$247

81.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.93 MX$35.93

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.34 $5.34

$2.86 MX$53.1

86.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.80 MX$14.85

268.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.8 $89.8

$30.94 MX$575

190.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.83 MX$34.08

59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.06 MX$19.66

90.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.59 $23.59

$10.82 MX$201

118.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.47 MX$27.39

-23.81%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

16.07%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

10.86%

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

$214 $214

$115 MX$2,132

87.06%

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

$74.2 $74.2

$26.37 MX$490

181.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$25.70 MX$478

154.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 $56.7

$30.53 MX$568

85.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.05 $43.05

$21.27 MX$396

102.40%

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 $14.37

$4.96 MX$92.2

189.72%

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

$2,441 $2,441

$679 MX$12.6K

259.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.7K $34.7K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

144.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.44 $41.44

$72.2 MX$1,343

-42.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 $57.4

$41.94 MX$780

36.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 $75.1

$107 MX$1,999

-30.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 $157

$119 MX$2,207

32.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,581 $3,581

$1,018 MX$18.9K

251.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,079 $2,079

$722 MX$13.4K

188.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,863 $5,863

$1,966 MX$36.6K

198.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,280 $3,280

$1,416 MX$26.3K

131.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,304 $8,304

$4,203 MX$78.2K

97.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,506 $5,506

$2,782 MX$51.7K

97.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,924 $5,924

$1,096 MX$20.4K

440.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

11.79

-41.31%

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

Last update for Jersey City, NJ: 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

Jersey City, NJ

$2.1K 56.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 65.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Jersey City, NJ

$512 14%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 41% $210

Eating Out

Jersey City, NJ

$365 10%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 40.9% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jersey City, NJ

$354 9.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 52.9% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Jersey City, NJ

$149 4.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 2.7% $4

Getting Around

Jersey City, NJ

$115 3.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 64% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Jersey City, NJ

$85 2.3%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 52.6% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,581 in Jersey City, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jersey City, NJ pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Jersey City, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $512 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jersey City, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

1 h behind Jersey City, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,449

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jersey City, NJ Monterrey 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jersey City, NJ
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

Jersey City, NJ vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Jersey City, NJ is about 5.4 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: $3,581 in Jersey City, NJ 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 Jersey City, NJ. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,441 in Jersey City, NJ versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,659 in Jersey City, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Jersey City, NJ. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Monterrey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jersey City, NJ, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Jersey City, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.