Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Elizabeth City, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Elizabeth City, NC, United States
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Elizabeth City, NC
🇺🇸 United States
$2,532
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Elizabeth City, NC $2,532

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $3,598 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Elizabeth City, NC $3,598

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $4,665 in Elizabeth City, NC, rent included.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Elizabeth City, NC $4,665

Monterrey is about 35% cheaper than Elizabeth City, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Elizabeth City, NC sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Elizabeth City, NC by 87%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$249
$11.96 $11.96
11.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$892
$35.25 $35.25
36.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$201
$11.42 $11.42
-5.52%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.0
$5.74 $5.74
-34.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.09
$2.48 $2.48
-39.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.14
$2.04 $2.04
-49.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.14
$5.96 $5.96
-58.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$81.0
$6.82 $6.82
-36.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.23
$0.93 $0.93
103.23%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.0
$3.66 $3.66
-22.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.52
$3.13 $3.13
-40.58%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$45.86
$4.58 $4.58
-46.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$220
$11.07 $11.07
6.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$167
$9.80 $9.80
-8.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$234
$17.59 $17.59
-28.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$59.4
$4.33 $4.33
-26.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$27.96
$1.25 $1.25
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.52
$4.32 $4.32
-50.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.39
$4.30 $4.30
-45.81%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.34
$2.14 $2.14
3.74%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.07
$2.18 $2.18
18.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$26.88
$2.04 $2.04
-28.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.72
$2.21 $2.21
-44.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$89.2
$8.96 $8.96
-46.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$247
$15.03 $15.03
-11.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$35.93
$2.13 $2.13
-9.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.1
$2.80 $2.80
2.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$14.85
$1.85 $1.85
-56.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$575
$63.0 $63.0
-50.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.08
$3.08 $3.08
-40.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.66
$1.90 $1.90
-44.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$201
$17.83 $17.83
-39.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.39
$0.92 $0.92
59.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$447.9K
$31.1K $31.1K
-22.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$437.7K
$26.1K $26.1K
-9.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,132
$187 $187
-38.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$490
$58.2 $58.2
-54.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$478
$60.3 $60.3
-57.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$568
$41.86 $41.86
-27.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$396
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$92.2
$15.01 $15.01
-66.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.6K
$1,304 $1,304
-47.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$263.8K
$24.8K $24.8K
-42.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,343
$54.4 $54.4
32.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$780
$40.69 $40.69
3.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$1,999
$88.8 $88.8
21.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,207
$141 $141
-15.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$18.9K
$1,602 $1,602
-36.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.4K
$1,293 $1,293
-44.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$36.6K
$2,586 $2,586
-23.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.3K
$2,125 $2,125
-33.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$78.2K
$2,461 $2,461
70.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$51.7K
$2,209 $2,209
25.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Elizabeth City, NC
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
6.77
74.15%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elizabeth City, NC: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Elizabeth City, NC
$1.3K 79.2% $572
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Elizabeth City, NC
$371 22.9% $69
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Elizabeth City, NC
$260 20.6% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Elizabeth City, NC
$305 83.3% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Elizabeth City, NC
$146 4.5% $6.9
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Elizabeth City, NC
$83 101% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Elizabeth City, NC
$72 77.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,602 in Elizabeth City, 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 $35 in Elizabeth City, NC. Groceries tell a different story – $302 in Monterrey vs $371 in Elizabeth City, NC – so Monterrey wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇺🇸 Elizabeth City, NC
🕒 Local time
19:32 7:32 PM
20:32 8:32 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
18,683
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Elizabeth City, NC 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Elizabeth City, 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 Elizabeth City, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Monterrey and in Elizabeth City, NC compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey, $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC – Monterrey comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Monterrey compared to Elizabeth City, NC?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $3,797 in Elizabeth City, NC. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Monterrey and Elizabeth City, NC?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,602 in Elizabeth City, NC.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $35 in Elizabeth City, NC. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Monterrey or Elizabeth City, NC?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC. That makes Monterrey about 35% cheaper.
How far does $3,000 go in Monterrey compared to Elizabeth City, NC?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,532 in Elizabeth City, NC, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Monterrey or Elizabeth City, NC?
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.

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