Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Fargo, ND

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,026 in Fargo, ND, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Fargo, ND
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Fargo, ND Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Fargo, ND

🇺🇸 United States

$2,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Fargo, ND

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Monterrey vs $2,026 in Fargo, ND, rent included.

Monterrey $1,599
Fargo, ND $2,026

A couple spends around $2,493 per month in Monterrey vs $3,226 in Fargo, ND, rent included.

Monterrey $2,493
Fargo, ND $3,226

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Monterrey vs $4,426 in Fargo, ND, rent included.

Monterrey $3,387
Fargo, ND $4,426

Monterrey is about 21% cheaper than Fargo, ND, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Fargo, ND sit above the global median – Monterrey by 18%, Fargo, ND by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$17.26 $17.26

-20.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$60.7 $60.7

-20.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$11.73 $11.73

-9.21%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.15 $5.15

-22.52%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.58 $2.58

-35.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.04 $2.04

-51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$5.34 $5.34

-55.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$9.13 $9.13

-51.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.27 $1.27

43.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.52 $3.52

-19.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$7.52 $7.52

-74.47%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$4.04 $4.04

-38.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$14.80 $14.80

-20.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$15.50 $15.50

-41.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$21.19 $21.19

-40.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$10.51 $10.51

-68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$2.36 $2.36

-33.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$6.59 $6.59

-67.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$5.44 $5.44

-54.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$4.87 $4.87

-52.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$3.81 $3.81

-29.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.01 $2.01

-27.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.62 $2.62

-54.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.77 $8.77

-45.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$18.54 $18.54

-26.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.54 $2.54

-24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$5.44 $5.44

-47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.47 $1.47

-46.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$41.33 $41.33

-24.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$4.52 $4.52

-64.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.98 $0.98

58.16%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$27.0K $27.0K

-10.41%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

-6.01%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$136 $136

-13.96%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$58.2 $58.2

-54.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$57.3 $57.3

-54.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$57.1 $57.1

-47.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$13.79 $13.79

-62.07%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,244 $1,244

-45.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$51.0 $51.0

41.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$45.99 $45.99

-7.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$84.7 $84.7

32.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$103 $103

15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$954 $954

-0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$689 $689

-3.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,252 $2,252

-19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$1,452 $1,452

-12.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,898 $1,898

113.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,673 $1,673

40.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$3,824 $3,824

-69.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.43

83.36%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Fargo, ND: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Fargo, ND

$689 34% 3.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Fargo, ND

$522 25.8% 71.5% $218

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Fargo, ND

$299 14.7% 34.8% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Fargo, ND

$251 12.4% 48.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Fargo, ND

$128 6.3% 17.5% $27

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Fargo, ND

$52 * 2.6% 24.9% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Fargo, ND

$85 4.2% 108% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $949 in Monterrey versus $954 in Fargo, ND. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 231% higher in Fargo, ND, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Monterrey versus $61.0 in Fargo, ND. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $522 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Fargo, ND

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

08:10 8:10 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

90,056

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Fargo, ND 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Fargo, ND

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 Fargo, ND: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fargo, ND costs about 27% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,399 per month in Monterrey and $3,038 in Fargo, ND. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Monterrey and $61.0 in Fargo, ND. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Monterrey and $2,026 in Fargo, ND. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Fargo, ND at $2,026. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fargo, ND it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $2,026 in Fargo, ND. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Fargo, ND makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.