Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Laurel, MS

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,677 in Laurel, MS, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Laurel, MS
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Laurel, MS Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Laurel, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Laurel, MS

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Monterrey vs $2,677 in Laurel, MS, rent included.

Monterrey $1,599
Laurel, MS $2,677

A couple spends around $2,493 per month in Monterrey vs $3,828 in Laurel, MS, rent included.

Monterrey $2,493
Laurel, MS $3,828

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Monterrey vs $4,978 in Laurel, MS, rent included.

Monterrey $3,387
Laurel, MS $4,978

Monterrey is about 40% cheaper than Laurel, MS, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Monterrey and Laurel, MS sit above the global median – Monterrey by 18%, Laurel, MS by 98%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$17.65 $17.65

-21.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$60.1 $60.1

-20.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$9.24 $9.24

15.26%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.85 $5.85

-31.79%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.22 $2.22

-25.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.39 $2.39

-58.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$4.93 $4.93

-52.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$6.05 $6.05

-26.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.03 $1.03

76.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.03 $3.03

-6.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$4.75 $4.75

-59.58%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.91 $3.91

-36.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$9.49 $9.49

23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$10.90 $10.90

-16.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$16.02 $16.02

-21.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$3.94 $3.94

-15.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.34 $1.34

17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$7.97 $7.97

-72.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$3.04 $3.04

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.12 $1.12

106.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$5.25 $5.25

-48.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.72 $2.72

-46.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.73 $2.73

-56.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.57 $8.57

-44.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$12.22 $12.22

11.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.42 $2.42

-20.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.55 $3.55

-18.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.94 $1.94

-59.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.07 $3.07

-48.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.55 $1.55

-31.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$29.52 $29.52

-63.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.89 $0.89

74.16%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$27.0K $27.0K

-10.59%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$25.5K $25.5K

-4.58%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$289 $289

-59.61%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$76.4 $76.4

-65.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$68.9 $68.9

-62.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$42.27 $42.27

-28.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$16.23 $16.23

-67.78%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,346 $1,346

-50.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$18.4K $18.4K

-39.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$57.9 $57.9

24.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$38.84 $38.84

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$108 $108

3.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$137 $137

-13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,623 $1,623

-41.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,319 $1,319

-49.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,465 $2,465

-26.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,163 $2,163

-41.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,328 $2,328

74.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,534 $2,534

-7.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.69

76.23%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Laurel, MS: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Laurel, MS

$1.3K 49.3% 98% $653

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Laurel, MS

$382 14.3% 25.5% $78

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Laurel, MS

$294 11% 32.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Laurel, MS

$435 16.2% 157% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Laurel, MS

$154 5.7% 1.1% $1.7

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Laurel, MS

$19 * 0.7% 55.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Laurel, MS

$75 2.8% 83.5% $34

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 $1,623 in Laurel, MS. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Monterrey versus $60.0 in Laurel, MS. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $382 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Laurel, MS

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

18,540

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Laurel, MS 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Laurel, MS

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 Laurel, MS: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey, $2,677 in Laurel, MS – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,399 per month in Monterrey and $4,016 in Laurel, MS. 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 $60.0 in Laurel, MS. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Laurel, MS, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Laurel, MS at $2,677. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laurel, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,599 in Monterrey to $2,677 in Laurel, MS. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Laurel, MS makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.