Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Memphis, TN and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,484 in Memphis, TN, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Memphis, TN
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Memphis, TN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Memphis, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,484

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,484 per month in Memphis, TN vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Memphis, TN $2,484
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $3,630 per month in Memphis, TN vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Memphis, TN $3,630
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $4,775 per month in Memphis, TN vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Memphis, TN $4,775
Monterrey $3,417

Memphis, TN costs about 55% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Memphis, TN and Monterrey sit above the global median – Memphis, TN by 85%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.83 $17.83

$13.75 MX$252

29.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$50.2 MX$921

49.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.13 MX$204

8.72%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$4.04 MX$74.2

37.62%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$1.70 MX$31.29

40.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.99 MX$18.17

98.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 $7.18

$2.41 MX$44.21

197.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.48 MX$82.3

83.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.92 MX$35.31

-53.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.89 MX$53.1

8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.94 MX$35.67

106.70%

Eggs

$3.78 $3.78

$2.50 MX$45.90

51.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$12.30 MX$226

9.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$9.33 MX$171

21.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 $19.44

$13.07 MX$240

48.74%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$3.38 MX$62.1

69.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.58 MX$29.02

12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.00 $6.00

$2.20 MX$40.45

172.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.45 MX$44.89

97.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.26 MX$41.47

42.48%

Onion (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.74 MX$50.4

52.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.53 MX$28.09

67.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.26 MX$23.16

69.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.63 $10.63

$4.84 MX$88.9

119.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 $12.87

$13.59 MX$249

-5.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.91 MX$35.01

-6.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$3.06 MX$56.3

-46.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$0.80 MX$14.60

21.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.19 $39.19

$31.77 MX$583

23.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.62 MX$29.78

19.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.10 MX$20.17

28.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 $19.61

$10.97 MX$201

78.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 MX$27.93

-34.87%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

75.17%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

5.21%

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

$186 $186

$120 MX$2,198

55.45%

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

$86.8 $86.8

$27.08 MX$497

220.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$26.70 MX$490

185.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.38 $31.38

$31.15 MX$572

0.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 $16.72

$21.95 MX$403

-23.83%

Cinema Ticket

$15.15 $15.15

$5.14 MX$94.4

194.75%

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

$1,722 $1,722

$688 MX$12.6K

150.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.0K $25.0K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

118.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.26 $47.26

$71.9 MX$1,321

-34.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.34 $33.34

$43.30 MX$795

-23.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 $82.7

$112 MX$2,059

-26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$122 MX$2,236

25.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 $1,495

$957 MX$17.6K

56.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,157 $1,157

$670 MX$12.3K

72.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 $2,080

$1,887 MX$34.7K

10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,884 $1,884

$1,305 MX$24.0K

44.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,781 $1,781

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-57.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 $1,364

$2,437 MX$44.7K

-44.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,648 $3,648

$1,133 MX$20.8K

222.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.79

-44.02%

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

Last update for Memphis, TN: October 6, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Memphis, TN

$1.2K 46.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 42.1% $487

Groceries & Markets

Memphis, TN

$406 16.4%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 23.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Memphis, TN

$349 14.1%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 50.3% $176

Eating Out

Memphis, TN

$316 12.7%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 29.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Memphis, TN

$142 5.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 10.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Memphis, TN

$62 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 32.8% $20

Getting Around

Memphis, TN

$52 2.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 19.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,495 in Memphis, TN versus $957 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 run about 222% higher in Memphis, TN, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Memphis, TN versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $406 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Memphis, TN

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

1 h behind Memphis, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

633,104

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Memphis, TN Monterrey 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Memphis, TN
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

Memphis, TN vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,484 in Memphis, TN, $1,607 in Monterrey – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,726 per month in Memphis, TN and $2,411 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,722 per month in Memphis, TN and $688 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 $1,607, than in Memphis, TN at $2,484. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Memphis, TN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,607 in Monterrey to $2,484 in Memphis, TN. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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