Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cambridge, MA

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, rent and utilities included – about $37,900 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
228

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge, MA
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Cambridge, MA Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Cambridge, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Cambridge, MA

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 Cambridge, MA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA.

Monterrey $1,641
Cambridge, MA $4,799

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $7,155 in Cambridge, MA.

Monterrey $2,573
Cambridge, MA $7,155

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $9,510 in Cambridge, MA.

Monterrey $3,504
Cambridge, MA $9,510

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 66% less than in Cambridge, MA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Cambridge, MA 255% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$19.83 $19.83

-32.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$101 $101

-52.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$11.82 $11.82

-8.71%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.7

$5.38 $5.38

-29.93%

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

$1.51 MX$28.37

$3.02 $3.02

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$2.35 $2.35

-56.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$7.93 $7.93

-68.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$8.20 $8.20

-46.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$1.18 $1.18

60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$4.41 $4.41

-35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$7.23 $7.23

-74.27%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$5.02 $5.02

-50.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$19.02 $19.02

-37.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$13.98 $13.98

-35.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$19.03 $19.03

-33.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$7.42 $7.42

-56.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$1.64 $1.64

-8.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$5.88 $5.88

-63.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$7.71 $7.71

-69.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$4.38 $4.38

-49.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$3.68 $3.68

-29.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.93 $2.93

-50.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$2.51 $2.51

-51.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$13.35 $13.35

-64.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$15.55 $15.55

-14.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$1.94 $1.94

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$4.47 $4.47

-36.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

$2.39 $2.39

-66.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

$88.9 $88.9

-65.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$3.88 $3.88

-52.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$2.15 $2.15

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$29.68 $29.68

-63.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$1.11 $1.11

32.43%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$27.3K $27.3K

-11.91%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

-11.37%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$228 $228

-49.75%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$55.6 $55.6

-52.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$78.6 $78.6

-67.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$74.9 $74.9

-59.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

$30.38 $30.38

-29.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$15.17 $15.17

-67.30%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$2,591 $2,591

-73.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$45.7K $45.7K

-68.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$72.8 $72.8

-0.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$51.1 $51.1

-17.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$103 $103

4.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$141 $141

-15.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$3,738 $3,738

-72.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$3,207 $3,207

-77.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$6,164 $6,164

-68.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

$5,901 $5,901

-76.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$7,656 $7,656

-45.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$6,069 $6,069

-54.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

$6,222 $6,222

-82.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.5

81.38%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cambridge, MA: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Cambridge, MA

$3.2K 66.8% 344% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Cambridge, MA

$510 10.6% 68.8% $208

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Cambridge, MA

$336 7% 55.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Cambridge, MA

$362 7.6% 117% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Cambridge, MA

$166 3.5% 8.2% $12

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Cambridge, MA

$113 2.4% 174% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Cambridge, MA

$105 2.2% 160% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $3,738 in Cambridge, MA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge, MA pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $101 in Cambridge, MA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $510 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

105,162

💱 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 Cambridge, MA 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cambridge, MA

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 Cambridge, MA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Cambridge, MA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 82% lower in Monterrey. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $3,738 in Cambridge, MA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 69% higher in Cambridge, MA. 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 $101 in Cambridge, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,799 in Cambridge, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Cambridge, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value at $1,641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Cambridge, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.