Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and May Pen

For one person, living is cheaper in May Pen: $729 a month against $1,607 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

May Pen

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in May Pen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $729 in May Pen.

Monterrey $1,607
May Pen $729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $824 in May Pen.

Monterrey $2,512
May Pen $824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $918 in May Pen.

Monterrey $3,417
May Pen $918

Living in Monterrey is roughly 120% more expensive than in May Pen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Monterrey is 20% above, May Pen is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$2.20 JMD 347

-12.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$3.85 JMD 609

-24.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$3.07 JMD 485

-36.81%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$3.45 JMD 545

-27.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$7.52 JMD 1,187

24.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$5.18 JMD 818

152.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$1.59 JMD 251

112.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$4.98 JMD 786

-68.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$6.24 JMD 986

-64.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$1.84 JMD 291

33.15%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$1.95 JMD 307

15.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$1.95 JMD 307

40.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$3.11 JMD 491

-50.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$2.79 JMD 441

-54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$2.18 JMD 344

-12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$1.35 JMD 214

12.59%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

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

$120 MX$2,198

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

$27.08 MX$497

$43.08 JMD 6,803

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$53.5 JMD 8,453

-50.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

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

$688 MX$12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$15.86 JMD 2,504

353.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$21.76 JMD 3,436

98.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$41.43 JMD 6,542

170.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$54.6 JMD 8,615

123.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$287 JMD 45.4K

133.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for May Pen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

May Pen

–

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

May Pen

–

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

May Pen

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

May Pen

–

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

May Pen

–

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

May Pen

–

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

May Pen

–

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇯🇲 May Pen

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

02:11 2:11 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

44,755

💱 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 = 20.59 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey May Pen 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
May Pen

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 May Pen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

May Pen wins on cost – living expenses run 120% lower than in Monterrey. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making May Pen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,411 in Monterrey and $1,094 in May Pen 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Monterrey. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Monterrey versus $729 in May Pen – a 120% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $729 in May Pen versus $1,607 in Monterrey, a $1,000 budget is realistic in May Pen but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes May Pen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but May Pen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $729 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes May Pen hard to pass up.

Expats usually find May Pen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.