Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima, OH and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,583 in Lima, OH, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Lima, OH
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Lima, OH Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Lima, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$2,583

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,583 in Lima, OH versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Lima, OH $2,583
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,667 in Lima, OH versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Lima, OH $3,667
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,750 in Lima, OH versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Lima, OH $4,750
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Lima, OH is roughly 57% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lima, OH 91% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 $21.56

$13.37 MX$251

61.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 $74.2

$47.95 MX$900

54.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 $12.05

$10.79 MX$203

11.68%

Cappuccino

$5.31 $5.31

$3.77 MX$70.7

40.85%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.51 MX$28.37

64.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.03 MX$19.33

96.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.11 $6.11

$2.48 MX$46.60

146.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.36 MX$81.8

61.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.89 MX$35.58

-73.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.85 MX$53.5

8.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.29 $5.29

$1.86 MX$34.86

184.41%

Eggs

$3.06 $3.06

$2.47 MX$46.31

23.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 $8.90

$11.81 MX$222

-24.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.54 $14.54

$8.97 MX$168

62.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.71 $15.71

$12.57 MX$236

24.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.20 MX$60.0

34.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.50 MX$28.23

-24.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.12 MX$39.90

107.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.33 MX$43.82

87.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.22 MX$41.75

1.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.58 MX$48.54

-15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.45 MX$27.15

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.22 MX$22.94

59.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.77 $9.77

$4.80 MX$90.1

103.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 $16.08

$13.30 MX$250

20.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.93 MX$36.28

9.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.86 MX$53.6

-31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.80 MX$15.00

153.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 $59.8

$30.94 MX$581

93.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.83 MX$34.42

62.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.06 MX$19.86

33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.92 $26.92

$10.82 MX$203

148.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.47 MX$27.65

-38.78%

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

$31.7K $31.7K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

31.45%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

1.29%

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

$222 $222

$115 MX$2,152

93.96%

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

$67.8 $67.8

$26.37 MX$495

157.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.1 $68.1

$25.70 MX$483

164.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.50 $41.50

$30.53 MX$573

35.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.74 $47.74

$21.27 MX$400

124.45%

Cinema Ticket

$13.23 $13.23

$4.96 MX$93.1

166.73%

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

$1,560 $1,560

$679 MX$12.7K

129.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.7K $33.7K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

137.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 $50.2

$72.2 MX$1,356

-30.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.92 $41.92

$41.94 MX$788

-0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 $80.1

$107 MX$2,019

-25.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$119 MX$2,228

-7.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 $1,281

$1,018 MX$19.1K

25.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$722 MX$13.6K

72.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,162 $2,162

$1,966 MX$36.9K

9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 $1,804

$1,416 MX$26.6K

27.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,399 $1,399

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-66.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,436 $1,436

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-48.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,178 $5,178

$1,096 MX$20.6K

372.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.79

-44.11%

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

Last update for Lima, OH: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lima, OH

$1.2K 48.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 42% $523

Groceries & Markets

Lima, OH

$373 14.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 19% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima, OH

$358 13.9%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.5% $191

Eating Out

Lima, OH

$335 13%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 35.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Lima, OH

$127 4.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.8% $26

Getting Around

Lima, OH

$78 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 47.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Lima, OH

$68 2.6%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 40.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,281 in Lima, OH and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lima, OH pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $74 in Lima, OH vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lima, OH

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h behind Lima, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,868

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Lima, OH Monterrey 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima, OH
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

Lima, OH vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,583 in Lima, OH and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lima, OH is about 4.7 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: $1,281 in Lima, OH versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Lima, OH. 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 $74 in Lima, OH. 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 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 36% less than in Lima, OH. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.