Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,315 in Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Charleston, SC
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Charleston, SC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $3,315 in Charleston, SC, rent included.

Monterrey $1,641
Charleston, SC $3,315

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $4,745 in Charleston, SC, rent included.

Monterrey $2,573
Charleston, SC $4,745

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $6,175 in Charleston, SC, rent included.

Monterrey $3,504
Charleston, SC $6,175

Monterrey is about 51% cheaper than Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Charleston, SC sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Charleston, SC by 145%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$19.83 $19.83

-32.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$135 $135

-64.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$12.10 $12.10

-10.83%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.80 $5.80

-35.00%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.80 $2.80

-46.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.36 $2.36

-56.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$6.90 $6.90

-64.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$8.23 $8.23

-47.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$1.11 $1.11

70.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$4.21 $4.21

-32.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$4.76 $4.76

-60.92%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$5.56 $5.56

-55.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$22.87 $22.87

-48.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$14.35 $14.35

-37.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$20.66 $20.66

-39.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$8.13 $8.13

-60.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.78 $1.78

-15.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$5.19 $5.19

-59.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$7.12 $7.12

-67.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$5.09 $5.09

-56.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$3.85 $3.85

-32.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.89 $2.89

-49.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$3.26 $3.26

-62.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$8.71 $8.71

-44.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$19.64 $19.64

-32.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.76 $2.76

-30.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$2.99 $2.99

-4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$1.95 $1.95

-58.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$58.0 $58.0

-46.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$3.04 $3.04

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.21 $1.21

-12.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$32.03 $32.03

-66.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.03 $1.03

42.72%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$26.5K $26.5K

-8.99%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$25.6K $25.6K

-7.94%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$228 $228

-49.79%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$77.0 $77.0

-65.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$80.7 $80.7

-68.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$43.34 $43.34

-29.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

$20.07 $20.07

5.98%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.08 $14.08

-64.77%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,270 $1,270

-46.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$22.7K $22.7K

-37.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$76.5 $76.5

-5.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$45.68 $45.68

-8.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$114 $114

-5.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$133 $133

-10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$2,166 $2,166

-53.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,743 $1,743

-58.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$3,414 $3,414

-42.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$2,445 $2,445

-42.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$5,965 $5,965

-29.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$3,094 $3,094

-10.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$4,780 $4,780

-77.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.61

78.37%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Charleston, SC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Charleston, SC

$1.7K 52.6% 142% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Charleston, SC

$537 16.2% 77.8% $235

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Charleston, SC

$336 10.1% 55.8% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Charleston, SC

$386 11.6% 132% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Charleston, SC

$166 5% 8.4% $13

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Charleston, SC

$75 2.3% 81.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Charleston, SC

$71 2.2% 76.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $2,166 in Charleston, SC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Charleston, SC are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $135 in Charleston, SC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $537 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

21:59 9:59 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

150,227

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Charleston, SC 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Charleston, 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 Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Charleston, SC costs about 102% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $4,973 in Charleston, SC. 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 $2,166 in Charleston, SC.

Kindergarten costs $679 per month in Monterrey and $1,270 in Charleston, SC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Charleston, SC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Charleston, SC at $3,315. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Charleston, SC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Charleston, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.