Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Big Rapids, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,964 in Big Rapids, MI, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Big Rapids, MI
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Big Rapids, MI Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Big Rapids, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Big Rapids, MI

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 Big Rapids, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,964 in Big Rapids, MI.

Monterrey $1,641
Big Rapids, MI $1,964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $2,863 in Big Rapids, MI.

Monterrey $2,573
Big Rapids, MI $2,863

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $3,762 in Big Rapids, MI.

Monterrey $3,504
Big Rapids, MI $3,762

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 16% less than in Big Rapids, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Big Rapids, MI 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$18.63 $18.63

-28.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$60.8 $60.8

-21.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$7.86 $7.86

37.28%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.7

$5.04 $5.04

-25.20%

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

$1.51 MX$28.37

$2.86 $2.86

-47.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$2.10 $2.10

-50.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$6.35 $6.35

-60.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$8.04 $8.04

-45.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$0.83 $0.83

127.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$3.22 $3.22

-11.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$2.25 $2.25

-17.33%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$3.80 $3.80

-35.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$16.88 $16.88

-30.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$13.24 $13.24

-32.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$14.48 $14.48

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$3.50 $3.50

-8.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$0.62 $0.62

141.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.82 $3.82

-44.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$4.44 $4.44

-47.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$2.41 $2.41

-7.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$2.82 $2.82

-8.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.38 $2.38

-39.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$1.97 $1.97

-38.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$10.50 $10.50

-54.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$13.29 $13.29

0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$2.15 $2.15

-10.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$2.82 $2.82

1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

$1.99 $1.99

-59.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

$59.2 $59.2

-47.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$3.08 $3.08

-40.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$1.59 $1.59

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$26.72 $26.72

-59.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$1.08 $1.08

36.11%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$29.5K $29.5K

-18.31%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$23.5K $23.5K

-0.05%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$201 $201

-43.12%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$57.7 $57.7

-54.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$74.0 $74.0

-65.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$35.19 $35.19

-13.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$13.20 $13.20

-62.42%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$2,035 $2,035

-66.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$20.1K $20.1K

-29.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$55.7 $55.7

29.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$34.98 $34.98

19.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$88.3 $88.3

21.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$103 $103

14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$897 $897

13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$691 $691

4.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$1,546 $1,546

27.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

$1,040 $1,040

36.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$3,161 $3,161

32.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$2,455 $2,455

13.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

5.68

107.57%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Big Rapids, MI: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Big Rapids, MI

$691 35.2% 4.2% $31

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Big Rapids, MI

$373 19% 23.3% $71

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Big Rapids, MI

$301 15.3% 39.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Big Rapids, MI

$333 17% 99.9% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Big Rapids, MI

$127 6.5% 17% $26

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Big Rapids, MI

$78 4% 89.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Big Rapids, MI

$62 3.1% 52.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $897 in Big Rapids, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $61 in Big Rapids, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $373 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Big Rapids, MI

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

10,565

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 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 Big Rapids, MI 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Big Rapids, MI

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 Big Rapids, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $2,947 in Big Rapids, MI 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 $897 in Big Rapids, MI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Big Rapids, MI. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $61 in Big Rapids, MI. 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.