Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Independence, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,113 in Independence, MO, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Independence, MO
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Independence, MO Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Independence, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Independence, MO

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 Independence, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,113 in Independence, MO.

Monterrey $1,608
Independence, MO $2,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,065 in Independence, MO.

Monterrey $2,521
Independence, MO $3,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,017 in Independence, MO.

Monterrey $3,433
Independence, MO $4,017

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 24% less than in Independence, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Independence, MO 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$20.38 $20.38

-32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$74.8 $74.8

-33.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$12.43 $12.43

-11.10%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$4.99 $4.99

-18.04%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.70 $2.70

-37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$2.02 $2.02

-49.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$7.05 $7.05

-65.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$7.43 $7.43

-41.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.13 $1.13

69.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.30 $3.30

-10.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$4.45 $4.45

-57.75%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$4.29 $4.29

-40.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$11.24 $11.24

5.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.70 $9.70

-3.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$13.49 $13.49

-2.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.40 $4.40

-23.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.60 $1.60

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$4.50 $4.50

-51.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$4.30 $4.30

-45.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$3.13 $3.13

-27.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.86 $2.86

-4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.99 $1.99

-23.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.18 $2.18

-43.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$7.94 $7.94

-40.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$15.16 $15.16

-9.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.75 $1.75

8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.76 $3.76

-20.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.45 $2.45

-31.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.21 $1.21

-6.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$25.39 $25.39

-56.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.97 $0.97

60.82%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$35.2K $35.2K

-39.16%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$24.6K $24.6K

1.85%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$245 $245

-51.30%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$63.0 $63.0

-58.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$73.4 $73.4

-63.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$15.24 $15.24

-65.29%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$965 $965

-28.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$19.6K $19.6K

-41.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$59.1 $59.1

22.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$40.34 $40.34

5.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$97.0 $97.0

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$120 $120

-2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,032 $1,032

-6.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$852 $852

-22.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$2,072 $2,072

-10.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,300 $1,300

-0.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,472 $1,472

182.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,470 $3,470

-66.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.56

79.73%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Independence, MO: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Independence, MO

$852 40.3% 28.3% $188

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Independence, MO

$369 17.5% 18.8% $58

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Independence, MO

$329 15.6% 46.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Independence, MO

$382 18.1% 121% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Independence, MO

$142 6.7% 7.3% $11

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Independence, MO

$8.5 * 0.4% 79.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Independence, MO

$30 * 1.4% 26.8% $11

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 $970 in Monterrey and $1,032 in Independence, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Independence, MO pays 203% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $75.0 in Independence, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $369 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Independence, MO

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

117,213

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Independence, MO 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Independence, MO

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 Independence, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Independence, MO differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $2,113 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 203% lower in Independence, MO. 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $1,032 in Independence, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Independence, MO. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $2,113 in Independence, MO – a 31% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,113 in Independence, MO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Independence, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Independence, MO are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Independence, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.