Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Durham, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,581 in Durham, 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
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Monterrey Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Durham, NC
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Durham, NC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Durham, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,581 in Durham, NC.

Monterrey $1,641
Durham, NC $2,581

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,926 in Durham, NC.

Monterrey $2,573
Durham, NC $3,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $5,272 in Durham, NC.

Monterrey $3,504
Durham, NC $5,272

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 36% less than in Durham, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Durham, NC 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$15.26 $15.26

-12.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$106 $106

-54.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$9.87 $9.87

9.32%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$4.89 $4.89

-22.90%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$3.19 $3.19

-52.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.05 $2.05

-49.76%

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

$7.09 $7.09

-38.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$1.12 $1.12

68.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$4.92 $4.92

-42.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$11.26 $11.26

-83.48%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$5.95 $5.95

-58.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$19.07 $19.07

-38.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$17.06 $17.06

-47.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$26.97 $26.97

-53.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$5.63 $5.63

-43.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.85 $1.85

-18.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$8.41 $8.41

-74.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$5.94 $5.94

-60.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$6.94 $6.94

-68.01%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$3.93 $3.93

-34.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.64 $2.64

-45.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.05 $2.05

-40.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$8.80 $8.80

-45.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$14.89 $14.89

-10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$1.53 $1.53

26.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$3.97 $3.97

-27.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$3.64 $3.64

-49.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.22 $1.22

-13.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.06 $1.06

38.68%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$31.4K $31.4K

-23.33%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$25.7K $25.7K

-8.31%

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

$75.6 $75.6

-65.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$70.5 $70.5

-63.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$51.5 $51.5

-40.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.10 $14.10

-64.82%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,619 $1,619

-58.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$30.3K $30.3K

-53.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$59.8 $59.8

20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$39.46 $39.46

6.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$101 $101

5.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$138 $138

-13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,526 $1,526

-33.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,125 $1,125

-35.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$2,254 $2,254

-12.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,918 $1,918

-26.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$3,533 $3,533

18.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,485 $2,485

11.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$4,538 $4,538

-75.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.75

74.67%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Durham, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Durham, NC

$1.1K 43.6% 55.9% $403

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Durham, NC

$564 21.9% 86.8% $262

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Durham, NC

$276 10.7% 27.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Durham, NC

$374 14.5% 125% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Durham, NC

$152 5.9% 0.6% $0.9

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Durham, NC

$9.8 * 0.4% 76.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Durham, NC

$80 3.1% 97% $39

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 $1,526 in Durham, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durham, NC pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $106 in Durham, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $564 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Durham, NC

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

15:44 3:44 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

283,506

💱 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

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Between locations

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

From you

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Durham, NC. 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 76% 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 $1,526 in Durham, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Durham, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,641 per month in Monterrey versus $2,581 in Durham, NC – Monterrey is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Durham, NC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.