Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Lincoln, NE

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,250 in Lincoln, NE, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lincoln, NE
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Lincoln, NE Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Lincoln, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Lincoln, NE

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,250 in Lincoln, NE.

Monterrey $1,607
Lincoln, NE $2,250

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,309 in Lincoln, NE.

Monterrey $2,512
Lincoln, NE $3,309

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $4,368 in Lincoln, NE.

Monterrey $3,417
Lincoln, NE $4,368

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 29% less than in Lincoln, NE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Lincoln, NE 68% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

$20.25 $20.25

-32.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

$78.8 $78.8

-36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

$12.22 $12.22

-8.92%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

$5.46 $5.46

-26.01%

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

$2.28 $2.28

-25.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

$1.74 $1.74

-43.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

$5.01 $5.01

-51.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$9.13 $9.13

-50.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$0.87 $0.87

120.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$3.09 $3.09

-6.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$6.19 $6.19

-68.66%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$4.60 $4.60

-45.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$11.62 $11.62

5.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$8.36 $8.36

11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$14.70 $14.70

-11.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$6.63 $6.63

-49.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$2.08 $2.08

-24.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$5.79 $5.79

-62.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$4.19 $4.19

-41.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$3.44 $3.44

-34.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$3.85 $3.85

-28.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$1.90 $1.90

-19.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$2.64 $2.64

-52.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

$9.73 $9.73

-50.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

$16.90 $16.90

-19.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$1.80 $1.80

6.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

$2.54 $2.54

20.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

$1.70 $1.70

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

$35.02 $35.02

-9.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

$5.04 $5.04

-67.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

$1.87 $1.87

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

$34.54 $34.54

-68.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$1.04 $1.04

46.15%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

$35.5K $35.5K

-39.83%

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

$25.3K $25.3K

0.58%

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

$120 MX$2,198

$142 $142

-15.77%

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

$27.08 MX$497

$48.30 $48.30

-43.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$64.8 $64.8

-58.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

$55.6 $55.6

-43.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

$26.15 $26.15

-16.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

$14.88 $14.88

-65.46%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$839 $839

-18.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$48.72 $48.72

47.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$35.40 $35.40

22.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$87.7 $87.7

27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$118 $118

3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,083 $1,083

-11.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$964 $964

-30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$1,608 $1,608

17.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$1,459 $1,459

-10.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

$1,853 $1,853

124.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

$1,889 $1,889

29.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$3,812 $3,812

-70.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.37

85.09%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lincoln, NE: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Lincoln, NE

$964 43.6% 43.8% $294

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Lincoln, NE

$398 18% 27.5% $86

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Lincoln, NE

$324 14.6% 44.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Lincoln, NE

$255 11.5% 47.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Lincoln, NE

$130 5.9% 17.1% $27

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Lincoln, NE

$56 2.5% 33.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Lincoln, NE

$85 3.9% 106% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $1,083 in Lincoln, NE. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lincoln, NE pays 236% 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 $79.0 in Lincoln, NE for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $398 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Lincoln, NE

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

277,348

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Lincoln, NE 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Lincoln, NE

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 Lincoln, NE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Lincoln, NE. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 236% lower in Lincoln, NE. 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $1,083 in Lincoln, NE. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $79.0 in Lincoln, NE. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Monterrey versus $2,250 in Lincoln, NE – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,250 in Lincoln, NE, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Lincoln, NE. 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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Lincoln, NE 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 40% less than in Lincoln, NE. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.