Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Elkhart, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,851 in Elkhart, IN, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Elkhart, IN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Elkhart, IN
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Elkhart, IN Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Elkhart, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Elkhart, IN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,851 in Elkhart, IN.

Monterrey $1,641
Elkhart, IN $1,851

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $2,699 in Elkhart, IN.

Monterrey $2,573
Elkhart, IN $2,699

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $3,547 in Elkhart, IN.

Monterrey $3,504
Elkhart, IN $3,547

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 11% less than in Elkhart, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Elkhart, IN 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$10.10 $10.10

32.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$39.62 $39.62

21.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$10.11 $10.11

6.73%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$1.80 $1.80

109.44%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.83 $2.83

-46.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.55 $1.55

-33.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$3.71 $3.71

-33.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$5.47 $5.47

-20.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$0.79 $0.79

139.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$1.18 $1.18

141.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$1.93 $1.93

-3.63%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$2.77 $2.77

-10.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$4.63 $4.63

155.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$16.38 $16.38

-45.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$15.25 $15.25

-17.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$3.30 $3.30

-3.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.51 $1.51

-0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$1.56 $1.56

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$1.29 $1.29

80.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$0.45 $0.45

393.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$2.22 $2.22

16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$1.47 $1.47

-1.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.93 $2.93

-58.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$8.28 $8.28

-42.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$12.24 $12.24

8.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.30 $2.30

-16.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$4.91 $4.91

-41.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$24.64 $24.64

25.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$10.14 $10.14

-81.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$3.14 $3.14

-66.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$9.88 $9.88

9.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$0.87 $0.87

68.97%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$30.2K $30.2K

-20.27%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$25.2K $25.2K

-6.43%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$230 $230

-50.26%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$63.3 $63.3

-58.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$53.4 $53.4

-51.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$14.80 $14.80

106.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

$5.10 $5.10

317.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$10.94 $10.94

-54.66%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$646 $646

5.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$9,879 $9,879

43.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$35.22 $35.22

105.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$14.89 $14.89

181.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$67.0 $67.0

60.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$79.4 $79.4

49.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,000 $1,000

1.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$838 $838

-13.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$1,521 $1,521

29.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,504 $1,504

-5.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$1,690 $1,690

148.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$1,650 $1,650

68.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$3,396 $3,396

-67.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.39

84.51%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Elkhart, IN: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Elkhart, IN

$838 45.3% 16.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Elkhart, IN

$311 16.8% 2.9% $8.7

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Elkhart, IN

$180 9.7% 16.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Elkhart, IN

$347 18.8% 108% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Elkhart, IN

$88 4.8% 42.3% $65

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Elkhart, IN

$51 * 2.7% 22.4% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Elkhart, IN

$37 2% 9.3% $3.8

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 $1,000 in Elkhart, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elkhart, IN pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $40 in Elkhart, IN. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $311, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Elkhart, IN

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

52,748

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Elkhart, IN 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Elkhart, IN

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 Elkhart, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,851 in Elkhart, IN, so Monterrey is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $1,000 in Elkhart, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $646 in Elkhart, IN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Elkhart, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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