Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McLean, VA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,994 in McLean, VA, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in McLean, VA
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McLean, VA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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McLean, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in McLean, VA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

McLean, VA $2,994
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,729 per month in McLean, VA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

McLean, VA $4,729
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $6,463 per month in McLean, VA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

McLean, VA $6,463
Monterrey $3,504

McLean, VA costs about 82% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both McLean, VA and Monterrey sit above the global median – McLean, VA by 121%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 $16.54

$13.37 MX$250

23.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.8 $69.8

$47.95 MX$897

45.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.55 $11.55

$10.79 MX$202

7.04%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.77 MX$70.4

45.09%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.51 MX$28.26

56.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.03 MX$19.25

97.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.38 $8.38

$2.48 MX$46.41

237.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$4.36 MX$81.5

125.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.89 MX$35.43

-31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$4.00 $4.00

$2.85 MX$53.3

40.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.86 MX$34.71

16.13%

Eggs

$4.83 $4.83

$2.47 MX$46.12

95.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.13 $17.13

$11.81 MX$221

45.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.78 $16.78

$8.97 MX$168

87.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.93 $18.93

$12.57 MX$235

50.60%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.20 MX$59.8

91.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.50 MX$28.12

8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.12 MX$39.74

135.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$2.33 MX$43.64

153.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.22 MX$41.58

29.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.58 MX$48.34

45.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.45 MX$27.04

82.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 $2.74

$1.22 MX$22.85

124.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 $13.87

$4.80 MX$89.7

188.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.98 $15.98

$13.30 MX$249

20.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$1.93 MX$36.14

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 $5.52

$2.86 MX$53.4

93.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.80 MX$14.94

218.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.83 MX$34.28

114.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.06 MX$19.78

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.28 $25.28

$10.82 MX$202

133.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.47 MX$27.54

-40.82%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

47.12%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

11.30%

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

$209 $209

$115 MX$2,144

82.27%

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

$75.8 $75.8

$26.37 MX$493

187.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 $55.2

$25.70 MX$481

114.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.2 $90.2

$30.53 MX$571

195.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 $17.68

$4.96 MX$92.8

256.45%

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

$1,954 $1,954

$679 MX$12.7K

187.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$50.6K $50.6K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

256.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 $53.2

$72.2 MX$1,350

-26.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 $43.57

$41.94 MX$784

3.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 $70.8

$107 MX$2,011

-34.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.2 $64.2

$119 MX$2,219

-45.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,755 $2,755

$1,018 MX$19.0K

170.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 $1,609

$722 MX$13.5K

123.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,018 $4,018

$1,966 MX$36.8K

104.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,439 $3,439

$1,416 MX$26.5K

142.96%

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)

$5,757 $5,757

$1,096 MX$20.5K

425.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.79

-42.15%

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

Last update for McLean, VA: 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

McLean, VA

$1.6K 53.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 55.2% $888

Groceries & Markets

McLean, VA

$482 16.1%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 37.3% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McLean, VA

$340 11.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 50.9% $173

Eating Out

McLean, VA

$312 10.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 30.8% $96

Sport & Entertainment

McLean, VA

$126 4.2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 67.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

McLean, VA

$104 3.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 46.8% $49

Getting Around

McLean, VA

$22 * 0.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 88.1% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,755 in McLean, VA 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 McLean, VA are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in McLean, VA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $482 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McLean, VA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h behind McLean, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,115

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

McLean, VA Monterrey 2,610 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

McLean, VA
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

McLean, VA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in McLean, VA, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,492 per month in McLean, VA 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 $2,755 in McLean, VA.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,994 in McLean, VA and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $1,954 per month in McLean, VA and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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, McLean, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.