Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monterrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Duncans

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Monterrey vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Monterrey $1,647
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Monterrey vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Monterrey $2,591
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $3,536 per month in Monterrey vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Monterrey $3,536
Duncans $2,336

Monterrey costs about 63% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Monterrey sits 21% above the global median, while Duncans is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.45 MX$251

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.43 MX$905

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-36.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$204

$8.14 JMD 1,284

33.91%

Cappuccino

$3.82 MX$71.3

$5.44 JMD 858

-29.78%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$1.14 JMD 180

46.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 MX$18.37

$0.71 JMD 111

38.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 MX$43.91

$2.25 JMD 355

4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 MX$82.4

$3.21 JMD 507

37.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.66

$4.15 JMD 655

-56.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 MX$52.2

$3.73 JMD 588

-25.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.10

$1.58 JMD 249

15.19%

Eggs

$2.51 MX$46.95

$3.58 JMD 565

-29.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.09 MX$226

$11.50 JMD 1,813

5.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 MX$176

$6.21 JMD 979

51.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.71 MX$237

$10.34 JMD 1,631

22.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 MX$59.9

$6.01 JMD 947

-46.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.99

$3.97 JMD 625

-62.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$40.07

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-71.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$43.38

$3.02 JMD 476

-23.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 MX$41.14

$3.32 JMD 523

-33.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 MX$48.55

$2.61 JMD 411

-0.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$3.01 JMD 475

-52.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 MX$21.93

$1.43 JMD 226

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$89.5

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 MX$247

$11.25 JMD 1,775

17.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$36.30

$2.78 JMD 439

-30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 MX$53.9

$3.96 JMD 625

-27.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.14 MX$582

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MX$30.96

$1.27 JMD 200

30.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 MX$20.44

$3.20 JMD 505

-65.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.67 MX$199

$6.23 JMD 983

71.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.53

$1.45 JMD 228

1.38%

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

$24.2K MX$453.0K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-45.00%

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

$23.6K MX$440.1K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

-26.75%

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

$118 MX$2,202

$171 JMD 27.0K

-31.19%

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

$25.55 MX$477

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-13.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.43 MX$494

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-48.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.77 MX$575

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.07 MX$394

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$95.1

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-62.04%

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

$694 MX$13.0K

$355 JMD 56.0K

95.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K MX$211.5K

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

36.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 MX$1,354

$23.91 JMD 3,771

203.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.51 MX$776

$31.38 JMD 4,949

32.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,050

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

39.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,148

$103 JMD 16.3K

11.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 MX$19.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 MX$13.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,999 MX$37.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 MX$26.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,219 MX$78.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,731 MX$51.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

9.45

24.76%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$721 43.8%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$303 18.4%

Duncans

$384 38% 26.5% $80

Eating Out

Monterrey

$217 13.2%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 2.9% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$170 10.3%

Duncans

$253 25% 48.8% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.3%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 29.9% $46

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.5%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 58.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 34.5% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $384 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

14:17 2:17 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

5,153

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Duncans 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Monterrey is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Monterrey and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,647 in Monterrey and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 63%.

Kindergarten costs $694 per month in Monterrey and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Duncans, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Monterrey at $1,647. In Duncans it covers expenses comfortably, while in Monterrey it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.