Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Media, PA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,043 in Media, PA, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Media, PA
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Media, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Media, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,043

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,043 per month in Media, PA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Media, PA $3,043
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $4,173 per month in Media, PA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Media, PA $4,173
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $5,302 per month in Media, PA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Media, PA $5,302
Monterrey $3,504

Media, PA costs about 85% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Media, PA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Media, PA by 125%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.72 $23.72

$13.37 MX$250

77.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 $90.4

$47.95 MX$897

88.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 $12.06

$10.79 MX$202

11.77%

Cappuccino

$5.33 $5.33

$3.77 MX$70.4

41.38%

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

$2.87 $2.87

$1.51 MX$28.26

90.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.03 MX$19.25

126.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.48 MX$46.41

139.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$4.36 MX$81.5

85.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.89 MX$35.43

-39.68%

White Bread (500g)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.85 MX$53.3

45.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$1.86 MX$34.71

127.96%

Eggs

$5.01 $5.01

$2.47 MX$46.12

102.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 $12.17

$11.81 MX$221

3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.72 $12.72

$8.97 MX$168

41.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.99 $17.99

$12.57 MX$235

43.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.20 MX$59.8

85.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.50 MX$28.12

6.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.12 MX$39.74

163.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.33 MX$43.64

115.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.22 MX$41.58

31.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.58 MX$48.34

25.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.45 MX$27.04

68.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.22 MX$22.85

82.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.83 $11.83

$4.80 MX$89.7

146.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 $15.29

$13.30 MX$249

14.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.93 MX$36.14

34.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.86 MX$53.4

33.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.80 MX$14.94

147.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 $55.3

$30.94 MX$579

78.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.83 MX$34.28

-0.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.06 MX$19.78

26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 $23.88

$10.82 MX$202

120.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.47 MX$27.54

-26.53%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

30.94%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

12.98%

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

$225 $225

$115 MX$2,144

96.57%

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

$65.2 $65.2

$26.37 MX$493

147.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 $65.3

$25.70 MX$481

153.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.18 $42.18

$30.53 MX$571

38.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.77 $14.77

$4.96 MX$92.8

197.78%

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

$1,978 $1,978

$679 MX$12.7K

191.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K $20.3K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

43.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$72.2 MX$1,350

-29.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.06 $44.06

$41.94 MX$784

5.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 $92.7

$107 MX$2,011

-13.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$119 MX$2,219

-6.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 $1,794

$1,018 MX$19.0K

76.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 $1,620

$722 MX$13.5K

124.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 $2,529

$1,966 MX$36.8K

28.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 $2,117

$1,416 MX$26.5K

49.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,516 $2,516

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-40.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,593 $2,593

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-6.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,930 $4,930

$1,096 MX$20.5K

349.95%

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 Media, PA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Media, PA

$1.6K 53.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 55.4% $898

Groceries & Markets

Media, PA

$434 14.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 30.3% $132

Eating Out

Media, PA

$357 11.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 39.5% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Media, PA

$356 11.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.1% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Media, PA

$134 4.4%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 14% $19

Getting Around

Media, PA

$72 2.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 42.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Media, PA

$72 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 43.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,794 in Media, PA 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 Media, PA are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Media, PA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $434 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Media, PA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

10:38 10:38 AM

1 h behind Media, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700

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

Media, PA Monterrey 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Media, PA
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

Media, PA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,043 in Media, PA, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,565 per month in Media, PA 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 $1,794 in Media, PA.

Kindergarten costs $1,978 per month in Media, PA and $679 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Media, PA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Media, PA at $3,043. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Media, PA 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, Media, PA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.