Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between May Pen and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in May Pen: $729 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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May Pen

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$729

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $729 in May Pen versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

May Pen $729
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $824 in May Pen versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

May Pen $824
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $918 in May Pen versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

May Pen $918
Monterrey $3,417

Living in May Pen costs roughly 55% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: May Pen is 46% below, Monterrey is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 JMD 347

$1.92 MX$35.31

14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.85 JMD 609

$2.89 MX$53.1

33.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 JMD 485

$1.94 MX$35.67

58.25%

Eggs

$3.45 JMD 545

$2.50 MX$45.90

38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 JMD 1,187

$9.33 MX$171

-19.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.18 JMD 818

$13.07 MX$240

-60.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$3.38 MX$62.1

-52.96%

Banana (1kg)

$4.98 JMD 786

$1.58 MX$29.02

215.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.24 JMD 986

$2.20 MX$40.45

183.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 JMD 291

$2.45 MX$44.89

-24.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 JMD 307

$2.26 MX$41.47

-13.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 JMD 307

$2.74 MX$50.4

-28.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.11 JMD 491

$1.53 MX$28.09

103.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 JMD 441

$1.26 MX$23.16

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 JMD 344

$1.91 MX$35.01

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 JMD 214

$1.52 MX$27.93

-11.18%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

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

$120 MX$2,198

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

$43.08 JMD 6,803

$27.08 MX$497

59.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 JMD 8,453

$26.70 MX$490

100.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

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

$688 MX$12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.86 JMD 2,504

$71.9 MX$1,321

-77.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.76 JMD 3,436

$43.30 MX$795

-49.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.43 JMD 6,542

$112 MX$2,059

-63.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.6 JMD 8,615

$122 MX$2,236

-55.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 JMD 45.4K

$670 MX$12.3K

-57.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

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

Last update for May Pen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Groceries & Markets

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Eating Out

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Clothing & Footwear

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Getting Around

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Sport & Entertainment

May Pen

–

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Good to know

🇯🇲 May Pen

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

1 h behind May Pen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,755

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

May Pen Monterrey 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

May Pen
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

May Pen vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

May Pen wins on cost – living expenses run 120% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making May Pen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,094 in May Pen and $2,411 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $729 per month in May Pen versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $729 in May Pen versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in May Pen but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes May Pen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but May Pen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $729 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes May Pen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find May Pen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.