Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kansas City, MO and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,394 in Kansas City, MO, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Kansas City, MO
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Kansas City, MO Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Kansas City, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,394 per month in Kansas City, MO vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Kansas City, MO $2,394
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $3,547 per month in Kansas City, MO vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Kansas City, MO $3,547
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $4,701 per month in Kansas City, MO vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Kansas City, MO $4,701
Monterrey $3,417

Kansas City, MO costs about 49% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kansas City, MO and Monterrey sit above the global median – Kansas City, MO by 79%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.96 $24.96

$13.75 MX$252

81.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 $80.5

$50.2 MX$921

60.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.61 $12.61

$11.13 MX$204

13.30%

Cappuccino

$6.08 $6.08

$4.04 MX$74.2

50.50%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.70 MX$31.29

78.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$0.99 MX$18.17

153.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.92 $6.92

$2.41 MX$44.21

187.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$4.48 MX$82.3

69.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.92 MX$35.31

-36.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.89 MX$53.1

15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.94 MX$35.67

172.68%

Eggs

$4.34 $4.34

$2.50 MX$45.90

73.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 $14.39

$12.30 MX$226

16.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 $9.85

$9.33 MX$171

5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.50 $13.50

$13.07 MX$240

3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.38 MX$62.1

31.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.58 MX$29.02

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.20 MX$40.45

98.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.45 MX$44.89

132.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.26 MX$41.47

43.36%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.74 MX$50.4

22.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.53 MX$28.09

49.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.26 MX$23.16

65.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 $7.99

$4.84 MX$88.9

65.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$13.59 MX$249

14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.91 MX$35.01

2.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.06 MX$56.3

30.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.62 MX$29.78

55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.10 MX$20.17

13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 $59.5

$10.97 MX$201

442.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 MX$27.93

-34.87%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

61.48%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-2.14%

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

$205 $205

$120 MX$2,198

71.22%

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

$64.8 $64.8

$27.08 MX$497

139.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$26.70 MX$490

161.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.80 $44.80

$31.15 MX$572

43.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.53 $31.53

$21.95 MX$403

43.64%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 $14.85

$5.14 MX$94.4

188.91%

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

$1,203 $1,203

$688 MX$12.6K

74.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.1K $21.1K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

84.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$71.9 MX$1,321

-16.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.18 $43.18

$43.30 MX$795

-0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$112 MX$2,059

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$122 MX$2,236

19.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 $1,391

$957 MX$17.6K

45.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 $1,040

$670 MX$12.3K

55.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,735 $2,735

$1,887 MX$34.7K

44.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 $1,695

$1,305 MX$24.0K

29.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,585 $2,585

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-37.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,914 $1,914

$2,437 MX$44.7K

-21.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,920 $3,920

$1,133 MX$20.8K

245.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.79

-44.36%

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

Last update for Kansas City, MO: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kansas City, MO

$1K 43.4%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 35.5% $370

Groceries & Markets

Kansas City, MO

$394 16.4%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 20.7% $81

Eating Out

Kansas City, MO

$382 16%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 41.5% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kansas City, MO

$340 14.2%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 48.9% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Kansas City, MO

$159 6.6%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Kansas City, MO

$74 3.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 44.4% $33

Getting Around

Kansas City, MO

$8.8 * 0.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 379% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in Kansas City, MO versus $957 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 run about 246% higher in Kansas City, MO, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Kansas City, MO versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $394 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Kansas City, MO

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

06:37 6:37 AM

1 h behind Kansas City, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,202

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kansas City, MO Monterrey 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kansas City, MO
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

Kansas City, MO vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,394 in Kansas City, MO, $1,607 in Monterrey – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,590 per month in Kansas City, MO and $2,411 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,394 in Kansas City, MO and $1,607 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $1,203 per month in Kansas City, MO and $688 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Kansas City, MO at $2,394. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kansas City, MO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,607 in Monterrey to $2,394 in Kansas City, MO. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kansas City, MO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.