Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Aiken, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,393 in Aiken, SC, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Aiken, SC
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Aiken, SC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Aiken, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,393

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Aiken, SC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,393 in Aiken, SC.

Monterrey $1,641
Aiken, SC $2,393

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,338 in Aiken, SC.

Monterrey $2,573
Aiken, SC $3,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,282 in Aiken, SC.

Monterrey $3,504
Aiken, SC $4,282

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 31% less than in Aiken, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Aiken, SC 77% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$14.88 $14.88

-10.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$59.2 $59.2

-18.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$10.96 $10.96

-1.55%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$3.70 $3.70

1.89%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.29 $2.29

-34.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.96 $1.96

-47.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$5.93 $5.93

-58.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$8.39 $8.39

-48.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$0.98 $0.98

92.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$2.81 $2.81

1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$2.30 $2.30

-19.13%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$3.50 $3.50

-29.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$14.34 $14.34

-17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$6.04 $6.04

48.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$18.34 $18.34

-31.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$9.60 $9.60

-66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$2.26 $2.26

-33.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$2.80 $2.80

-24.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$3.93 $3.93

-40.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$1.91 $1.91

16.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$2.86 $2.86

-9.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$1.86 $1.86

-22.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$1.97 $1.97

-38.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$7.19 $7.19

-33.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$13.76 $13.76

-3.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.04 $2.04

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$2.95 $2.95

-3.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$3.30 $3.30

-44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.65 $1.65

-35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$24.50 $24.50

-55.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$0.72 $0.72

104.17%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$28.4K $28.4K

-15.18%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$26.9K $26.9K

-12.50%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$234 $234

-51.11%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$66.6 $66.6

-60.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$82.5 $82.5

-68.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$58.1 $58.1

-47.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.92 $14.92

-66.76%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$942 $942

-27.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$18.6K $18.6K

-23.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$46.93 $46.93

53.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$44.22 $44.22

-5.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$117 $117

-8.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$64.6 $64.6

83.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,346 $1,346

-24.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,159 $1,159

-37.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$1,721 $1,721

14.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,691 $1,691

-16.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$1,656 $1,656

153.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$1,362 $1,362

104.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.57

79.45%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aiken, SC: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Aiken, SC

$1.2K 48.5% 60.7% $438

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Aiken, SC

$368 15.4% 21.8% $66

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Aiken, SC

$260 10.9% 20.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Aiken, SC

$384 16% 130% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Aiken, SC

$123 5.1% 19.8% $30

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Aiken, SC

$12 * 0.5% 72% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Aiken, SC

$88 3.7% 117% $47

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 $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,346 in Aiken, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $59 in Aiken, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $368 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Aiken, SC

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

28,829

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Aiken, SC 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Aiken, SC

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

Monterrey vs Aiken, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Aiken, SC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $3,589 in Aiken, SC 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: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,346 in Aiken, SC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $942 in Aiken, SC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $59 in Aiken, SC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.