Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Eliot, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,796 in Eliot, ME, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Eliot, ME, United States
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Eliot, ME
🇺🇸 United States
$2,796
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Eliot, ME

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $2,796 in Eliot, ME, rent included.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Eliot, ME $2,796

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $4,003 in Eliot, ME, rent included.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Eliot, ME $4,003

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $5,211 in Eliot, ME, rent included.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Eliot, ME $5,211

Monterrey is about 41% cheaper than Eliot, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Eliot, ME sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Eliot, ME by 107%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$250
$17.65 $17.65
-24.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$897
$50.1 $50.1
-4.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$202
$8.75 $8.75
23.31%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.4
$4.91 $4.91
-23.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.26
$1.95 $1.95
-22.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.25
$1.52 $1.52
-32.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.41
$8.07 $8.07
-69.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$81.5
$8.20 $8.20
-46.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.43
$1.14 $1.14
65.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.3
$4.41 $4.41
-35.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.71
$6.86 $6.86
-72.89%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$46.12
$5.55 $5.55
-55.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$221
$15.47 $15.47
-23.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$168
$14.47 $14.47
-38.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$235
$19.67 $19.67
-36.10%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$59.8
$7.42 $7.42
-56.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$28.12
$2.00 $2.00
-25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.74
$5.56 $5.56
-61.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.64
$7.43 $7.43
-68.64%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.58
$4.35 $4.35
-48.97%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.34
$4.08 $4.08
-36.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$27.04
$2.96 $2.96
-51.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.85
$2.96 $2.96
-58.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$89.7
$13.37 $13.37
-64.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$249
$15.74 $15.74
-15.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$36.14
$2.99 $2.99
-35.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.4
$4.42 $4.42
-35.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$14.94
$1.94 $1.94
-58.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$579
$68.0 $68.0
-54.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.28
$2.65 $2.65
-30.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.78
$1.79 $1.79
-40.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$202
$27.87 $27.87
-61.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.54
$1.15 $1.15
27.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$450.4K
$30.3K $30.3K
-20.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.2K
$26.4K $26.4K
-10.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,144
$236 $236
-51.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$493
$45.41 $45.41
-41.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$481
$75.9 $75.9
-66.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$571
$40.35 $40.35
-24.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$398
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$92.8
$16.08 $16.08
-69.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.7K
$2,638 $2,638
-74.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$265.3K
$20.8K $20.8K
-31.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,350
$75.0 $75.0
-3.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$784
$50.1 $50.1
-16.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,011
$113 $113
-5.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,219
$153 $153
-22.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$19.0K
$1,587 $1,587
-35.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.5K
$1,290 $1,290
-44.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$36.8K
$2,576 $2,576
-23.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.5K
$2,065 $2,065
-31.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$78.6K
$2,976 $2,976
41.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$52.0K
$2,545 $2,545
9.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Eliot, ME
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
6.85
72.12%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Eliot, ME: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Eliot, ME
$1.3K 78.8% $569
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Eliot, ME
$515 70.5% $213
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Eliot, ME
$297 37.7% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Eliot, ME
$357 115% $191
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Eliot, ME
$176 15.1% $23
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Eliot, ME
$87 112% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Eliot, ME
$73 79.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,587 in Eliot, ME. 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 $50 in Eliot, ME. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $515 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇺🇸 Eliot, ME
🕒 Local time
14:52 2:52 PM
15:52 3:52 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
6,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Eliot, ME 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Eliot, ME

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 Eliot, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Monterrey or Eliot, ME?
Eliot, ME costs about 70% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Monterrey and in Eliot, ME?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $4,194 in Eliot, ME. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Monterrey or Eliot, ME?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,587 in Eliot, ME.
Are groceries more expensive in Monterrey or in Eliot, ME?
Groceries cost about 71% more in Eliot, ME, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Monterrey and in Eliot, ME?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $50 in Eliot, ME. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is better for families?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Monterrey is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 41% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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