Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Lenoir, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,608 in Lenoir, NC, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Lenoir, NC
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Lenoir, NC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Lenoir, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Lenoir, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,608 in Lenoir, NC.

Monterrey $1,641
Lenoir, NC $2,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,824 in Lenoir, NC.

Monterrey $2,573
Lenoir, NC $3,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $5,040 in Lenoir, NC.

Monterrey $3,504
Lenoir, NC $5,040

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 37% less than in Lenoir, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Lenoir, NC 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$19.64 $19.64

-31.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$74.9 $74.9

-35.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$11.31 $11.31

-4.60%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.40 $5.40

-30.19%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.74 $2.74

-44.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.05 $2.05

-49.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$6.07 $6.07

-59.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$7.39 $7.39

-41.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$1.00 $1.00

89.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$3.54 $3.54

-19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$4.30 $4.30

-56.74%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$4.25 $4.25

-41.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$12.82 $12.82

-7.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$11.56 $11.56

-22.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$17.13 $17.13

-26.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$5.08 $5.08

-37.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.39 $1.39

7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$4.40 $4.40

-51.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$4.78 $4.78

-51.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$2.78 $2.78

-20.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$2.97 $2.97

-13.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.12 $2.12

-31.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.26 $2.26

-46.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$10.24 $10.24

-53.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$15.02 $15.02

-11.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$1.80 $1.80

7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$3.53 $3.53

-18.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$1.93 $1.93

-58.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$66.9 $66.9

-53.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$3.02 $3.02

-39.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.58 $1.58

-32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$33.12 $33.12

-67.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.01 $1.01

45.54%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$31.5K $31.5K

-23.58%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

-9.71%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$196 $196

-41.51%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$57.7 $57.7

-54.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$70.0 $70.0

-63.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$39.26 $39.26

-22.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.08 $14.08

-64.77%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,387 $1,387

-51.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$20.4K $20.4K

-30.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$52.9 $52.9

36.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$43.80 $43.80

-4.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$89.6 $89.6

19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$124 $124

-4.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,599 $1,599

-36.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,273 $1,273

-43.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$2,525 $2,525

-22.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$2,104 $2,104

-32.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$2,702 $2,702

55.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,090 $2,090

33.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.59

78.91%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lenoir, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Lenoir, NC

$1.3K 48.8% 76.4% $551

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Lenoir, NC

$398 15.3% 31.8% $96

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Lenoir, NC

$320 12.3% 48.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Lenoir, NC

$324 12.4% 94.2% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Lenoir, NC

$140 5.4% 8.7% $13

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Lenoir, NC

$86 3.3% 108% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Lenoir, NC

$67 2.6% 66.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,599 in Lenoir, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $75 in Lenoir, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $398 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Lenoir, NC

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

17,888

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 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

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Between locations

Monterrey Lenoir, NC 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Lenoir, NC

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 Lenoir, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,608 in Lenoir, NC, so Monterrey is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $3,912 in Lenoir, NC to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,599 in Lenoir, NC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Lenoir, NC. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $75 in Lenoir, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Lenoir, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.