Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Hilton Head Island, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,962 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilton Head Island, SC
Learn more

Hilton Head Island, SC Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Hilton Head Island, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,962

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Hilton Head Island, SC

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 Hilton Head Island, SC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $2,962 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Monterrey $1,641
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,962

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $2,701 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Monterrey $2,573
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,701

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $2,440 in Hilton Head Island, SC, rent included.

Monterrey $3,504
Hilton Head Island, SC $2,440

Monterrey is about 45% cheaper than Hilton Head Island, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Hilton Head Island, SC sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Hilton Head Island, SC by 119%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$19.95 $19.95

-32.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$60.3 $60.3

-20.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$11.56 $11.56

-6.66%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.7

$4.96 $4.96

-23.99%

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

$1.51 MX$28.37

$2.91 $2.91

-48.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$1.98 $1.98

-47.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$4.88 $4.88

-49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$6.09 $6.09

-28.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$0.74 $0.74

155.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$3.13 $3.13

-8.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$3.66 $3.66

-49.18%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$2.85 $2.85

-13.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$8.66 $8.66

36.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$9.73 $9.73

-7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$13.25 $13.25

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$4.61 $4.61

-30.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$1.44 $1.44

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$3.88 $3.88

-45.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$4.53 $4.53

-48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$2.93 $2.93

-24.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$3.09 $3.09

-16.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.65 $2.65

-45.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$2.37 $2.37

-48.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$9.21 $9.21

-47.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$14.75 $14.75

-9.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$2.16 $2.16

-10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$3.12 $3.12

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$1.46 $1.46

25.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$1.14 $1.14

-7.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$13.60 $13.60

-20.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$0.92 $0.92

59.78%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$31.8K $31.8K

-24.31%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$26.7K $26.7K

-11.79%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$212 $212

-45.88%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$54.3 $54.3

-51.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$69.5 $69.5

-63.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$19.76 $19.76

54.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$14.77 $14.77

-66.42%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,321 $1,321

-48.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$20.8K $20.8K

-31.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$34.56 $34.56

108.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$35.03 $35.03

19.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$79.0 $79.0

36.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$69.2 $69.2

71.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$2,165 $2,165

-53.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$1,812 $1,812

-60.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$2,310 $2,310

-14.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$3,599 $3,599

16.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$3,511 $3,511

-20.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

$3,414 $3,414

-67.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.88

71.37%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hilton Head Island, SC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$1.8K 61.2% 151% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$350 11.8% 15.7% $47

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$310 10.5% 43.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$336 11.3% 101% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$98 3.3% 36% $55

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$7.2 * 0.2% 82.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Hilton Head Island, SC

$49 1.7% 21.9% $8.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $2,165 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hilton Head Island, SC are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $60 in Hilton Head Island, SC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $350 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Hilton Head Island, SC

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

40,512

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Hilton Head Island, SC 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Hilton Head Island, SC

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 Hilton Head Island, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilton Head Island, SC costs about 80% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $4,442 in Hilton Head Island, SC. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $2,165 in Hilton Head Island, SC.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,962 in Hilton Head Island, SC. That makes Monterrey about 45% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $679 per month in Monterrey and $1,321 in Hilton Head Island, SC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hilton Head Island, SC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.