Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knoxville, TN and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,534 in Knoxville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Knoxville, TN
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Knoxville, TN Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Knoxville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,534

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,534 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Knoxville, TN $2,534
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,650 in Knoxville, TN versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Knoxville, TN $3,650
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,765 in Knoxville, TN versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Knoxville, TN $4,765
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Knoxville, TN is roughly 54% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Knoxville, TN 87% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 $19.84

$13.37 MX$250

48.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.4 $75.4

$47.95 MX$897

57.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 $10.16

$10.79 MX$202

-5.84%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$3.77 MX$70.4

47.75%

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

$2.71 $2.71

$1.51 MX$28.26

79.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.03 MX$19.25

154.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.54 $6.54

$2.48 MX$46.41

163.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.91 $6.91

$4.36 MX$81.5

58.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.89 MX$35.43

-44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.85 MX$53.3

17.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.86 MX$34.71

153.76%

Eggs

$4.44 $4.44

$2.47 MX$46.12

79.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.24 $10.24

$11.81 MX$221

-13.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 $9.68

$8.97 MX$168

7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.87 $14.87

$12.57 MX$235

18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$3.20 MX$59.8

121.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.50 MX$28.12

-2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.12 MX$39.74

33.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$2.33 MX$43.64

130.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.22 MX$41.58

-0.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.58 MX$48.34

63.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$1.45 MX$27.04

55.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.22 MX$22.85

77.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 $9.16

$4.80 MX$89.7

90.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$13.30 MX$249

13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.93 MX$36.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.86 MX$53.4

8.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.80 MX$14.94

21.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.41 $29.41

$30.94 MX$579

-4.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 $6.48

$1.83 MX$34.28

254.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.06 MX$19.78

48.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.59 $29.59

$10.82 MX$202

173.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.47 MX$27.54

-31.29%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

15.41%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

13.73%

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

$237 $237

$115 MX$2,144

106.70%

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

$71.7 $71.7

$26.37 MX$493

171.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 $57.3

$25.70 MX$481

122.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.08 $24.08

$30.53 MX$571

-21.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.80 $21.80

$21.27 MX$398

2.49%

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 $15.42

$4.96 MX$92.8

210.89%

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

$1,214 $1,214

$679 MX$12.7K

78.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K $19.7K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

38.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.4 $50.4

$72.2 MX$1,350

-30.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 $45.43

$41.94 MX$784

8.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$107 MX$2,011

3.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 $124

$119 MX$2,219

4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 $1,773

$1,018 MX$19.0K

74.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 $1,210

$722 MX$13.5K

67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,744 $2,744

$1,966 MX$36.8K

39.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 $1,859

$1,416 MX$26.5K

31.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,272 $5,272

$4,203 MX$78.6K

25.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,209 $2,209

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-20.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,737 $3,737

$1,096 MX$20.5K

241.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.61

11.79

-43.94%

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

Last update for Knoxville, TN: 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

Knoxville, TN

$1.2K 47.7%

Monterrey

$722 44% 40.4% $488

Groceries & Markets

Knoxville, TN

$383 15.1%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 21.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knoxville, TN

$366 14.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 54.4% $199

Eating Out

Knoxville, TN

$324 12.8%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 33.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Knoxville, TN

$149 5.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 3% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Knoxville, TN

$55 2.2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 26.3% $14

Getting Around

Knoxville, TN

$48 1.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 13.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,773 in Knoxville, TN and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Knoxville, TN pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $75 in Knoxville, TN vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Knoxville, TN

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

16:58 4:58 PM

1 h behind Knoxville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,740

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 →

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Knoxville, TN Monterrey 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Knoxville, TN
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

Knoxville, TN vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Knoxville, TN. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Knoxville, TN is about 3.4 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: $1,773 in Knoxville, TN versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Knoxville, TN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $75 in Knoxville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value at $1,641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Knoxville, TN on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.