Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laurel, MS and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,677 in Laurel, MS, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MS
Learn more

Laurel, MS Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Laurel, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Laurel, MS vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Laurel, MS $2,677
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,828 per month in Laurel, MS vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Laurel, MS $3,828
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,978 per month in Laurel, MS vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Laurel, MS $4,978
Monterrey $3,387

Laurel, MS costs about 67% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Laurel, MS and Monterrey sit above the global median – Laurel, MS by 98%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.65 $17.65

$13.80 MX$255

27.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 $60.1

$47.99 MX$887

25.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$10.65 MX$197

-13.24%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$3.99 MX$73.7

46.62%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$1.66 MX$30.76

33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.99 MX$18.21

141.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.36 MX$43.64

108.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 $6.05

$4.43 MX$81.8

36.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.82 MX$33.58

-43.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.83 MX$52.4

7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.92 MX$35.44

147.40%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.48 MX$45.78

57.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$11.74 MX$217

-19.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.90 $10.90

$9.10 MX$168

19.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.02 $16.02

$12.53 MX$232

27.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.34 MX$61.6

17.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.57 MX$29.10

-14.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 $7.97

$2.16 MX$39.86

268.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.47 MX$45.65

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$2.31 MX$42.64

-51.52%

Onion (1kg)

$5.25 $5.25

$2.68 MX$49.47

95.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.46 MX$26.90

86.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.19 MX$22.07

129.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.57 $8.57

$4.75 MX$87.8

80.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$13.58 MX$251

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.92 MX$35.52

26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.88 MX$53.2

23.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.79 MX$14.66

145.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.59 MX$29.44

93.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.06 MX$19.58

46.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.52 $29.52

$10.80 MX$200

173.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.55 MX$28.59

-42.58%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

11.84%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

4.80%

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

$289 $289

$117 MX$2,159

147.56%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$26.38 MX$488

189.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$26.04 MX$481

164.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.27 $42.27

$30.26 MX$559

39.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$16.23 $16.23

$5.23 MX$96.6

210.33%

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

$1,346 $1,346

$673 MX$12.4K

100.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K $18.4K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

65.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 $57.9

$72.1 MX$1,332

-19.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.84 $38.84

$42.38 MX$783

-8.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$112 MX$2,066

-3.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$119 MX$2,200

15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,623 $1,623

$949 MX$17.5K

71.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 $1,319

$666 MX$12.3K

97.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 $2,465

$1,821 MX$33.7K

35.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 $2,163

$1,271 MX$23.5K

70.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,328 $2,328

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-42.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,534 $2,534

$2,348 MX$43.4K

7.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.79

-43.26%

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

Last update for Laurel, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laurel, MS

$1.3K 49.3%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 49.5% $653

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laurel, MS

$435 16.2%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 61.1% $265

Groceries & Markets

Laurel, MS

$382 14.3%

Monterrey

$304 19% 20.3% $78

Eating Out

Laurel, MS

$294 11%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 24.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Laurel, MS

$154 5.7%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 1.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Laurel, MS

$75 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 45.5% $34

Getting Around

Laurel, MS

$19 * 0.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 123% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,623 in Laurel, MS versus $949 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Laurel, MS

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

1 h behind Laurel, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,540

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 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 October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Laurel, MS Monterrey 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Laurel, MS
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

Laurel, MS vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,677 in Laurel, MS, $1,599 in Monterrey – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,016 per month in Laurel, MS and $2,399 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Laurel, MS and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Laurel, MS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Laurel, MS at $2,677. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laurel, MS 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 $1,599 in Monterrey to $2,677 in Laurel, MS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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