Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Kingston

For one person, living costs are similar in Monterrey and in Kingston: $1,607 and $1,668 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Kingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Monterrey $1,607
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $2,779 in Kingston.

Monterrey $2,512
Kingston $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $3,890 in Kingston.

Monterrey $3,417
Kingston $3,890

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 4% less than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

$13.57 JMD 2,142

1.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

$74.2 JMD 11.7K

-32.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

$7.95 JMD 1,256

40.00%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

$5.47 JMD 863

-26.14%

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

$1.14 JMD 179

49.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

$0.75 JMD 118

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

$2.26 JMD 357

6.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$3.13 JMD 494

43.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$4.12 JMD 651

-53.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$3.79 JMD 598

-23.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$1.59 JMD 250

22.01%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$3.56 JMD 562

-29.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$11.22 JMD 1,772

9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$6.48 JMD 1,023

43.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$10.22 JMD 1,614

27.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$5.89 JMD 930

-42.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$3.90 JMD 616

-59.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$7.34 JMD 1,159

-70.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$3.06 JMD 483

-19.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$3.23 JMD 510

-30.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$2.67 JMD 421

2.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$3.05 JMD 481

-49.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$1.51 JMD 239

-16.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

$9.51 JMD 1,502

-49.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

$11.32 JMD 1,787

20.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$2.82 JMD 446

-32.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

$4.10 JMD 647

-25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

$0.78 JMD 123

2.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

$37.32 JMD 5,893

-14.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

$1.24 JMD 195

30.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

$3.18 JMD 503

-65.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

$6.46 JMD 1,020

69.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$1.42 JMD 224

7.04%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

-52.15%

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-22.51%

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

$120 MX$2,198

$169 JMD 26.6K

-29.02%

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

$27.08 MX$497

$29.11 JMD 4,597

-6.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$52.9 JMD 8,360

-49.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

$62.5 JMD 9,869

-50.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

$17.63 JMD 2,783

24.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

$13.28 JMD 2,097

-61.30%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$357 JMD 56.4K

92.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

39.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$23.85 JMD 3,766

201.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$31.37 JMD 4,953

38.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$78.0 JMD 12.3K

43.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$102 JMD 16.0K

19.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$957 JMD 151.1K

0.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$576 JMD 91.0K

16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$2,139 JMD 337.7K

-11.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$1,391 JMD 219.7K

-6.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

$2,892 JMD 456.6K

43.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

$2,080 JMD 328.4K

17.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$733 JMD 115.7K

54.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

9.45

24.76%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Kingston

$576 34.2% 14% $94

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Kingston

$384 22.8% 23% $72

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Kingston

$223 13.2% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Kingston

$251 14.9% 44.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 32.7% $51

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Kingston

$58 3.4% 36.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 115% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $957 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Monterrey pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $74.0 in Kingston for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $384 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 177 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.65 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Kingston 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Monterrey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $957 in Monterrey versus $957 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Monterrey versus $357 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,668 in Kingston, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Kingston. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,607 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.