Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Clayton, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,579 in Clayton, NC, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Clayton, NC
Learn more

Clayton, NC Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Clayton, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $2,579 in Clayton, NC, rent included.

Monterrey $1,641
Clayton, NC $2,579

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $3,630 in Clayton, NC, rent included.

Monterrey $2,573
Clayton, NC $3,630

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $4,681 in Clayton, NC, rent included.

Monterrey $3,504
Clayton, NC $4,681

Monterrey is about 36% cheaper than Clayton, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Clayton, NC sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Clayton, NC by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$21.65 $21.65

-38.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$88.4 $88.4

-45.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$11.69 $11.69

-7.70%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.90 $5.90

-36.10%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.64 $2.64

-42.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.22 $2.22

-53.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$6.07 $6.07

-59.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$7.11 $7.11

-38.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$1.00 $1.00

89.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$3.62 $3.62

-21.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$3.13 $3.13

-40.58%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$4.58 $4.58

-46.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$9.59 $9.59

23.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$10.06 $10.06

-10.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$17.86 $17.86

-29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$4.67 $4.67

-31.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.44 $1.44

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$4.52 $4.52

-53.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$4.18 $4.18

-44.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$2.84 $2.84

-21.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$2.40 $2.40

7.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.17 $2.17

-33.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$1.99 $1.99

-38.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$9.10 $9.10

-47.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$12.94 $12.94

2.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.20 $2.20

-12.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$2.74 $2.74

4.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$1.98 $1.98

-59.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$66.0 $66.0

-53.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$2.52 $2.52

-27.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.59 $1.59

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$17.77 $17.77

-39.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$0.98 $0.98

50.00%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$27.5K $27.5K

-12.50%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$26.4K $26.4K

-10.74%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$186 $186

-38.40%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$57.5 $57.5

-54.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$72.8 $72.8

-64.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$44.69 $44.69

-31.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.85 $14.85

-66.60%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,188 $1,188

-42.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$25.1K $25.1K

-43.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$53.5 $53.5

35.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$46.01 $46.01

-8.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$94.1 $94.1

14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$117 $117

1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,609 $1,609

-36.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,253 $1,253

-42.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$1,691 $1,691

16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,687 $1,687

-16.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$3,194 $3,194

31.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,312 $2,312

20.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.56

79.73%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Clayton, NC: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Clayton, NC

$1.3K 48.6% 73.6% $531

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Clayton, NC

$369 14.3% 22.1% $67

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Clayton, NC

$343 13.3% 59% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Clayton, NC

$316 12.3% 89.8% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Clayton, NC

$140 5.4% 8.8% $14

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Clayton, NC

$84 3.3% 105% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Clayton, NC

$74 2.9% 83.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,609 in Clayton, 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 $88 in Clayton, NC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $369 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Clayton, NC

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

17,355

💱 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 6, 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 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Clayton, NC 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey, $2,579 in Clayton, NC – Monterrey comes out roughly 36% 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 $3,869 in Clayton, 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 $1,609 in Clayton, NC.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $88 in Clayton, NC. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,579 in Clayton, NC. That makes Monterrey about 36% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,579 in Clayton, 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 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.