Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malden, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,504 in Malden, MA, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Malden, MA
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Malden, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Malden, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,504

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Malden, MA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Malden, MA $3,504
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,792 per month in Malden, MA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Malden, MA $4,792
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $6,081 per month in Malden, MA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Malden, MA $6,081
Monterrey $3,504

Malden, MA costs about 114% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malden, MA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Malden, MA by 159%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$13.37 MX$250

46.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.6 $93.6

$47.95 MX$897

95.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.73 $14.73

$10.79 MX$202

36.52%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.77 MX$70.4

42.44%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.51 MX$28.26

95.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.03 MX$19.25

120.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.80 $5.80

$2.48 MX$46.41

133.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.36 MX$81.5

81.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.89 MX$35.43

-35.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.85 MX$53.3

38.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$1.86 MX$34.71

193.01%

Eggs

$4.84 $4.84

$2.47 MX$46.12

95.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 $12.09

$11.81 MX$221

2.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.32 $14.32

$8.97 MX$168

59.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$12.57 MX$235

40.65%

Apples (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$3.20 MX$59.8

115.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.50 MX$28.12

19.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.50 $5.50

$2.12 MX$39.74

159.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.33 MX$43.64

143.35%

Potato (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.22 MX$41.58

94.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.58 MX$48.34

-25.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.45 MX$27.04

86.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.22 MX$22.85

89.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 $13.25

$4.80 MX$89.7

176.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 $14.17

$13.30 MX$249

6.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.93 MX$36.14

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.86 MX$53.4

56.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.80 MX$14.94

218.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.6 $90.6

$30.94 MX$579

192.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.83 MX$34.28

44.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.06 MX$19.78

67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.81 $27.81

$10.82 MX$202

157.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.47 MX$27.54

-25.85%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

14.93%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

13.87%

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

$241 $241

$115 MX$2,144

110.10%

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

$56.6 $56.6

$26.37 MX$493

114.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.0 $81.0

$25.70 MX$481

215.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.85 $34.85

$30.53 MX$571

14.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$15.85 $15.85

$4.96 MX$92.8

219.56%

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

$1,802 $1,802

$679 MX$12.7K

165.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$44.1K $44.1K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

210.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 $57.7

$72.2 MX$1,350

-20.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.82 $37.82

$41.94 MX$784

-9.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 $79.0

$107 MX$2,011

-26.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.3 $99.3

$119 MX$2,219

-16.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,439 $2,439

$1,018 MX$19.0K

139.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 $2,039

$722 MX$13.5K

182.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,554 $3,554

$1,966 MX$36.8K

80.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,838 $2,838

$1,416 MX$26.5K

100.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,726 $4,726

$1,096 MX$20.5K

331.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.79

-43.68%

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

Last update for Malden, MA: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malden, MA

$2K 58.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 64.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Malden, MA

$452 12.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 33.2% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malden, MA

$378 10.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 55.9% $212

Eating Out

Malden, MA

$331 9.5%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 34.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Malden, MA

$123 3.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 24.2% $30

Getting Around

Malden, MA

$112 3.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 63.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Malden, MA

$67 1.9%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 39.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,439 in Malden, MA versus $1,018 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 in Malden, MA are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $94 in Malden, MA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $452 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Malden, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Malden, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,450

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malden, MA Monterrey 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malden, MA
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

Malden, MA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malden, MA is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,255 per month in Malden, MA and $2,461 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $2,439 in Malden, MA.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,802 per month in Malden, MA and $679 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 $1,641, than in Malden, MA at $3,504. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malden, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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