Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,597 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Merrillville, IN $2,597
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Merrillville, IN $3,672
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Merrillville, IN $4,748
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 62% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 92% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$13.80 MX$255

8.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 $55.9

$47.99 MX$887

16.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.65 MX$197

-7.23%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$3.99 MX$73.7

16.04%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.66 MX$30.76

31.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$0.99 MX$18.21

126.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.36 MX$43.64

92.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.43 MX$81.8

33.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.82 MX$33.58

-59.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.83 MX$52.4

12.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.92 MX$35.44

136.46%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$2.48 MX$45.78

86.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$11.74 MX$217

-5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$9.10 MX$168

5.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$12.53 MX$232

75.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$3.34 MX$61.6

72.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 MX$29.10

-28.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.16 MX$39.86

103.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$2.47 MX$45.65

122.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.31 MX$42.64

59.31%

Onion (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.68 MX$49.47

64.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.46 MX$26.90

67.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.19 MX$22.07

6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$4.75 MX$87.8

139.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$13.58 MX$251

-10.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.92 MX$35.52

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.88 MX$53.2

19.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.79 MX$14.66

155.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$1.59 MX$29.44

211.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.06 MX$19.58

76.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 $50.3

$10.80 MX$200

365.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.55 MX$28.59

-40.00%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

15.37%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

11.14%

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

$233 $233

$117 MX$2,159

99.05%

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

$50.9 $50.9

$26.38 MX$488

92.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$26.04 MX$481

126.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$30.26 MX$559

56.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$5.23 MX$96.6

186.42%

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

$1,397 $1,397

$673 MX$12.4K

107.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

84.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$72.1 MX$1,332

-26.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 $40.39

$42.38 MX$783

-4.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$112 MX$2,066

-4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$119 MX$2,200

-19.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$949 MX$17.5K

59.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$666 MX$12.3K

106.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$1,821 MX$33.7K

32.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,271 MX$23.5K

68.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-37.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-6.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.79

-44.61%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 51.5% $708

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15%

Monterrey

$304 19% 22% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 50.6% $173

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 13.8% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 16.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$77 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 47.5% $37

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 84.8% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,510 in Merrillville, IN and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Merrillville, IN vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h behind Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Merrillville, IN Monterrey 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and Monterrey differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($2,597 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,895 in Merrillville, IN and $2,399 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,510 in Merrillville, IN versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,597 per month in Merrillville, IN versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.