Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Cary, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,852 in Cary, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Cary, NC
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Cary, NC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Cary, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,852 in Cary, NC.

Monterrey $1,641
Cary, NC $2,852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $4,204 in Cary, NC.

Monterrey $2,573
Cary, NC $4,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $5,556 in Cary, NC.

Monterrey $3,504
Cary, NC $5,556

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 42% less than in Cary, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Cary, NC 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$19.44 $19.44

-31.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$98.5 $98.5

-51.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$10.46 $10.46

3.15%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.19 $5.19

-27.36%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.01 $2.01

-24.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.89 $1.89

-45.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$4.43 $4.43

-44.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$6.53 $6.53

-33.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$1.01 $1.01

87.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$5.42 $5.42

-47.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$6.02 $6.02

-69.10%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$4.14 $4.14

-40.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$18.04 $18.04

-34.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$17.10 $17.10

-47.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$17.58 $17.58

-28.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$5.97 $5.97

-46.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.92 $1.92

-21.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$3.76 $3.76

-43.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$6.80 $6.80

-65.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$3.23 $3.23

-31.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$4.21 $4.21

-38.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.97 $2.97

-51.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.38 $2.38

-48.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$10.04 $10.04

-52.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$9.77 $9.77

36.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.28 $2.28

-15.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$4.08 $4.08

-29.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$2.52 $2.52

-68.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$79.6 $79.6

-61.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$0.93 $0.93

58.06%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$29.1K $29.1K

-19.11%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$179 $179

-35.94%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$47.71 $47.71

-44.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$67.9 $67.9

-62.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$77.4 $77.4

-60.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

$22.17 $22.17

-4.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$15.11 $15.11

-67.17%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,477 $1,477

-54.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$64.3 $64.3

12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$32.19 $32.19

30.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$119 $119

-9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$134 $134

-11.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,916 $1,916

-46.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,417 $1,417

-49.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$2,699 $2,699

-27.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$2,217 $2,217

-36.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$2,827 $2,827

48.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,628 $2,628

5.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$5,874 $5,874

-81.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.42

83.64%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cary, NC: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Cary, NC

$1.4K 49.7% 96.4% $696

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Cary, NC

$485 17% 60.7% $183

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Cary, NC

$300 10.5% 39% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Cary, NC

$294 10.3% 76.7% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Cary, NC

$157 5.5% 2.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Cary, NC

$90 * 3.1% 117% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Cary, NC

$108 3.8% 166% $67

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 $1,916 in Cary, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cary, NC pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $98 in Cary, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $485 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Cary, NC

🕒 Local time

10:13 10:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

176,987

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Cary, NC 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Cary, 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 Cary, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 81% 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 $1,916 in Cary, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $1,477 in Cary, NC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Cary, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Cary, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.