Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monaco and Monte Carlo

For one person, living is cheaper in Monte Carlo: $8,149 a month against $10.3K in Monaco, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monaco outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

504

Cost of Living Index in Monaco
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Monaco Living Index
398

Cost of Living Index in Monte Carlo
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Monte Carlo Living Index

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Monaco

🇲🇨 Monaco

$10.3K

/mo nomad

Monte Carlo

🇲🇨 Monaco

$8,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monaco and in Monte Carlo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monaco and in Monte Carlo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $10.3K in Monaco versus $8,149 in Monte Carlo.

Monaco $10.3K
Monte Carlo $8,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $11.8K in Monaco versus $12.8K in Monte Carlo.

Monaco $11.8K
Monte Carlo $12.8K

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $13.3K in Monaco versus $17.4K in Monte Carlo.

Monaco $13.3K
Monte Carlo $17.4K

Living in Monaco is roughly 27% more expensive than in Monte Carlo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monaco 666% above, Monte Carlo 504% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 €17.45

$42.14 €37.49

-53.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$170 €152

$124 €111

37.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 €10.79

$11.37 €10.11

6.68%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.18

$4.10 €3.64

-12.68%

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

$6.22 €5.53

$9.12 €8.11

-31.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 €3.92

$10.69 €9.51

-58.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.05 €8.94

$10.07 €8.96

-0.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.68 €7.72

$13.59 €12.09

-36.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.29 €2.04

-24.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.31 €2.95

$5.11 €4.55

-35.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$4.39 €3.91

-5.24%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.38

$4.60 €4.09

7.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.67 €12.16

$21.62 €19.23

-36.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.47 €14.65

$17.00 €15.13

-3.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.29 €16.27

$22.75 €20.23

-19.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 €2.88

$6.06 €5.39

-46.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$7.42 €6.60

-61.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$4.84 €4.31

-45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 €3.11

$8.59 €7.64

-59.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$5.65 €5.02

-58.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 €2.45

$5.48 €4.87

-49.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$5.14 €4.57

-64.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$8.04 €7.15

$6.00 €5.34

34.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.08 €12.52

$12.06 €10.72

16.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 €5.90

$16.86 €15.00

-60.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.02 €1.80

-22.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 €3.83

$4.34 €3.86

-0.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.00 €1.78

9.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.67 €21.05

$37.45 €33.31

-36.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 €4.82

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.28 €2.03

-32.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$90.5 €80.5

$112 €99.7

-19.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.37 €2.11

-5.06%

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

$47.7K €42.4K

$53.4K €47.5K

-10.74%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$42.7K €38.0K

-9.82%

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

$415 €369

$526 €467

-21.03%

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

$42.04 €37.40

$58.1 €51.7

-27.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 €57.6

$96.8 €86.1

-33.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$230 €205

$534 €475

-56.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.1 €47.19

$56.6 €50.3

-6.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 €12.07

$17.61 €15.67

-22.94%

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

$2,191 €1,949

$3,552 €3,160

-38.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.2K €40.2K

$16.7K €14.9K

170.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$151 €135

$225 €200

-32.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.5 €73.4

$77.0 €68.5

7.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$168 €150

$197 €175

-14.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$733 €652

$278 €248

163.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,183 €8,168

$2,812 €2,501

226.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$8,192 €7,287

$5,272 €4,689

55.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$16.0K €14.2K

$11.4K €10.1K

40.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$8,350 €7,427

$11.3K €10.0K

-25.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$72.1K €64.1K

$107.8K €95.9K

-33.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$54.4K €48.4K

$85.3K €75.8K

-36.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,858 €7,879

$8,669 €7,711

2.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

62.50%

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

Last update for Monaco: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monte Carlo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monaco

$8.2K 79.2%

Monte Carlo

$5.3K 64.7% 35.6% $2.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monaco

$522 5.1%

Monte Carlo

$680 8.4% 30.4% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Monaco

$511 4.9%

Monte Carlo

$350 4.3% 31.5% $161

Groceries & Markets

Monaco

$473 4.6%

Monte Carlo

$638 7.8% 35.1% $166

Eating Out

Monaco

$346 3.4%

Monte Carlo

$577 7.1% 66.6% $231

Sport & Entertainment

Monaco

$257 2.5%

Monte Carlo

$569 7% 121% $312

Getting Around

Monaco

$40 * 0.4%

Monte Carlo

$62 0.8% 55.2% $22

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 $9,183 in Monaco and $2,812 in Monte Carlo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monaco pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $170 in Monaco vs $124 in Monte Carlo. Groceries flip the comparison at $473 vs $638, with Monaco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇨 Monaco

🇲🇨 Monte Carlo

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

Same time as Monaco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,050 Capital

15,507

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Monaco vs Monte Carlo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monaco and Monte Carlo differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($10.3K vs $8,149 including rent). Monte Carlo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Monaco, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $9,183 in Monaco versus $2,812 in Monte Carlo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monte Carlo – a meal for two runs $124 versus $170 in Monaco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $10.3K per month in Monaco versus $8,149 in Monte Carlo – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Monte Carlo is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Monaco and Monte Carlo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monte Carlo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Monaco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.