Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monroe, LA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,884 in Monroe, LA, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Monroe, LA
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Monroe, LA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Monroe, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,884

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,884 per month in Monroe, LA vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Monroe, LA $1,884
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $2,866 per month in Monroe, LA vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Monroe, LA $2,866
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $3,848 per month in Monroe, LA vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Monroe, LA $3,848
Monterrey $3,433

Monroe, LA costs about 17% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Monroe, LA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Monroe, LA by 40%, Monterrey by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 $16.96

$13.85 MX$256

22.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.30 $40.30

$49.70 MX$918

-18.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$11.05 MX$204

-8.78%

Cappuccino

$3.02 $3.02

$4.09 MX$75.6

-26.16%

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

$1.99 $1.99

$1.68 MX$30.97

18.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.03 MX$18.98

133.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.40 MX$44.28

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.86 $5.86

$4.35 MX$80.3

34.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.92 MX$35.55

-42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 $2.73

$2.94 MX$54.2

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.88 MX$34.66

47.87%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.55 MX$47.06

20.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 $8.79

$11.84 MX$219

-25.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$9.36 MX$173

-15.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 $15.69

$13.10 MX$242

19.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.38 MX$62.5

51.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.52 MX$28.13

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.19 MX$40.51

94.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.36 MX$43.63

59.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.26 MX$41.76

21.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.73 MX$50.5

-7.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.52 MX$28.17

-0.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.24 MX$22.90

49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.77 $7.77

$4.75 MX$87.8

63.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 $13.70

$13.66 MX$252

0.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.89 MX$34.95

-3.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.99 MX$55.2

-41.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.68 MX$30.98

51.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.13 MX$20.87

34.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 $24.03

$11.15 MX$206

115.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.56 MX$28.91

-38.46%

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

$37.1K $37.1K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

73.41%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

1.95%

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

$173 $173

$119 MX$2,206

44.94%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$26.21 MX$484

97.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.7 $63.7

$26.78 MX$495

138.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.19 $46.19

$31.03 MX$573

48.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 $12.86

$5.29 MX$97.7

143.10%

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

$786 $786

$691 MX$12.8K

13.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K $19.0K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

65.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.60 $40.60

$72.3 MX$1,335

-43.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 $38.10

$42.72 MX$789

-10.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.0 $62.0

$110 MX$2,024

-43.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 $97.3

$117 MX$2,158

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 $976

$970 MX$17.9K

0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$828 $828

$664 MX$12.3K

24.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 $2,173

$1,857 MX$34.3K

17.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 $1,643

$1,287 MX$23.8K

27.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 $2,022

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-51.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,812 $1,812

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-22.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,697 $3,697

$1,146 MX$21.2K

222.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.79

-42.75%

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

Last update for Monroe, LA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monroe, LA

$828 43.9%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 19.8% $164

Groceries & Markets

Monroe, LA

$327 17.3%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 4.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monroe, LA

$288 15.3%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 40.2% $116

Eating Out

Monroe, LA

$252 13.4%

Monterrey

$225 14% 10.9% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Monroe, LA

$107 5.7%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 43.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Monroe, LA

$72 3.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 42.1% $30

Getting Around

Monroe, LA

$10 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 312% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $976 in Monroe, LA versus $970 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 223% higher in Monroe, LA, 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 $40.00 in Monroe, LA versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Monroe, LA vs $310 in Monterrey – so Monterrey wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monroe, LA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h behind Monroe, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,702

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Monroe, LA Monterrey 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monroe, LA
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

Monroe, LA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monroe, LA costs about 17% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,826 per month in Monroe, LA and $2,412 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Monroe, LA and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Monroe, LA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Monroe, LA at $1,884. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monroe, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,608 versus $1,884 in Monroe, LA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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