Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Burlington, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, NC
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Burlington, NC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Burlington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Burlington, NC

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 Burlington, NC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $2,645 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Monterrey $1,641
Burlington, NC $2,645

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $3,850 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Monterrey $2,573
Burlington, NC $3,850

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $5,054 in Burlington, NC, rent included.

Monterrey $3,504
Burlington, NC $5,054

Monterrey is about 38% cheaper than Burlington, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Burlington, NC sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Burlington, NC by 96%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$19.38 $19.38

-31.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$74.3 $74.3

-35.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$10.92 $10.92

-1.19%

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

$2.62 $2.62

-42.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$1.95 $1.95

-47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$6.16 $6.16

-59.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$6.80 $6.80

-35.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$1.04 $1.04

81.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$3.52 $3.52

-19.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$4.23 $4.23

-56.03%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$4.22 $4.22

-41.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$12.02 $12.02

-1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$11.26 $11.26

-20.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$15.19 $15.19

-17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$4.76 $4.76

-32.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$1.56 $1.56

-3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.12 $4.12

-48.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$4.61 $4.61

-49.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$2.87 $2.87

-22.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$2.88 $2.88

-10.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.11 $2.11

-31.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$2.12 $2.12

-42.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$9.40 $9.40

-48.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$13.88 $13.88

-4.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$1.79 $1.79

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$3.37 $3.37

-15.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

$2.05 $2.05

-60.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

$59.9 $59.9

-48.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$3.46 $3.46

-47.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$1.59 $1.59

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$29.13 $29.13

-62.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$0.83 $0.83

77.11%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$29.1K $29.1K

-17.22%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$25.7K $25.7K

-8.54%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$188 $188

-38.94%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$53.1 $53.1

-50.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$68.2 $68.2

-62.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$42.74 $42.74

-28.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$13.63 $13.63

-63.61%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,310 $1,310

-48.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$23.2K $23.2K

-38.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$50.4 $50.4

43.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$40.77 $40.77

2.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$85.8 $85.8

25.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$114 $114

4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$1,611 $1,611

-36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$1,363 $1,363

-47.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$2,655 $2,655

-25.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

$2,223 $2,223

-36.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$2,746 $2,746

53.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$2,444 $2,444

13.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.51

81.11%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Burlington, NC: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Burlington, NC

$1.4K 51.5% 89% $642

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Burlington, NC

$382 14.4% 26.4% $80

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Burlington, NC

$311 11.8% 44.1% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Burlington, NC

$309 11.7% 85.4% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Burlington, NC

$131 5% 14.5% $22

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Burlington, NC

$80 3% 92.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Burlington, NC

$70 2.7% 73.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,611 in Burlington, NC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $74 in Burlington, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $382 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Burlington, NC

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

04:02 4:02 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

44,743

💱 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 Burlington, NC 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Burlington, NC

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 Burlington, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey, $2,645 in Burlington, NC – Monterrey comes out roughly 38% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $3,968 in Burlington, NC. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,611 in Burlington, NC.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $679 per month in Monterrey and $1,310 in Burlington, NC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,645 in Burlington, NC, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Monterrey is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 38% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.