Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and McCook, NE

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,610 in McCook, NE, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,599
/mo nomad
McCook, NE
🇺🇸 United States
$2,610
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in McCook, 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 McCook, NE actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Monterrey vs $2,610 in McCook, NE, rent included.

  • Monterrey $1,599
  • McCook, NE $2,610

A couple spends around $2,493 per month in Monterrey vs $3,705 in McCook, NE, rent included.

  • Monterrey $2,493
  • McCook, NE $3,705

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Monterrey vs $4,800 in McCook, NE, rent included.

  • Monterrey $3,387
  • McCook, NE $4,800

Monterrey is about 39% cheaper than McCook, NE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and McCook, NE sit above the global median – Monterrey by 18%, McCook, NE by 93%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.80 MX$255
$19.97 $19.97
-30.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.99 MX$887
$74.1 $74.1
-35.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.65 MX$197
$11.79 $11.79
-9.67%
Cappuccino
$3.99 MX$73.7
$5.43 $5.43
-26.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 MX$30.76
$2.65 $2.65
-37.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.99 MX$18.21
$2.03 $2.03
-51.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 MX$43.64
$5.87 $5.87
-59.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 MX$81.8
$7.17 $7.17
-38.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.82 MX$33.58
$1.17 $1.17
55.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.83 MX$52.4
$3.45 $3.45
-17.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 MX$35.44
$4.44 $4.44
-56.76%
Eggs
$2.48 MX$45.78
$4.09 $4.09
-39.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.74 MX$217
$13.37 $13.37
-12.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.10 MX$168
$11.64 $11.64
-21.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.53 MX$232
$18.66 $18.66
-32.85%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 MX$61.6
$5.33 $5.33
-37.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 MX$29.10
$1.70 $1.70
-7.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.16 MX$39.86
$4.40 $4.40
-50.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.47 MX$45.65
$4.84 $4.84
-48.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$42.64
$3.12 $3.12
-25.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.68 MX$49.47
$3.22 $3.22
-16.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.46 MX$26.90
$1.94 $1.94
-24.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.19 MX$22.07
$2.42 $2.42
-50.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.75 MX$87.8
$10.56 $10.56
-55.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.58 MX$251
$13.99 $13.99
-2.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 MX$35.52
$1.99 $1.99
-3.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 MX$53.2
$3.77 $3.77
-23.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 MX$14.66
$1.92 $1.92
-58.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.36 MX$579
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.59 MX$29.44
$3.27 $3.27
-51.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.58
$1.63 $1.63
-34.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.80 MX$200
$33.85 $33.85
-68.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 MX$28.59
$1.03 $1.03
50.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.2K MX$446.4K
$26.5K $26.5K
-9.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.3K MX$449.4K
$25.8K $25.8K
-5.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 MX$2,159
$202 $202
-42.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.38 MX$488
$58.9 $58.9
-55.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$26.04 MX$481
$69.3 $69.3
-62.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.26 MX$559
$41.77 $41.77
-27.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.25 MX$393
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.23 MX$96.6
$13.69 $13.69
-61.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$673 MX$12.4K
$1,230 $1,230
-45.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K MX$205.2K
$25.4K $25.4K
-56.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.1 MX$1,332
$60.4 $60.4
19.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.38 MX$783
$36.59 $36.59
15.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 MX$2,066
$88.5 $88.5
26.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,200
$109 $109
9.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$949 MX$17.5K
$1,569 $1,569
-39.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$666 MX$12.3K
$1,326 $1,326
-49.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,821 MX$33.7K
$2,514 $2,514
-27.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 MX$23.5K
$1,967 $1,967
-35.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$74.8K
$2,944 $2,944
37.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,348 MX$43.4K
$2,574 $2,574
-8.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
McCook, NE
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,155 MX$21.3K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
6.57
79.45%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for McCook, NE: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$666
McCook, NE
$1.3K 98.9% $659
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$304
McCook, NE
$411 35.1% $107
Eating Out
Monterrey
$221
McCook, NE
$323 45.7% $101
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$169
McCook, NE
$330 94.8% $160
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$155
McCook, NE
$132 14.8% $23
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
McCook, NE
$19 * 53.9% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$41
McCook, NE
$69 69.9% $28

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 $1,569 in McCook, NE. 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 $74.0 in McCook, NE. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $411 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇺🇸 McCook, NE
🕒 Local time
14:19 2:19 PM
15:19 3:19 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
7,400
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey McCook, NE 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • McCook, 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 McCook, NE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is McCook, NE cheaper than Monterrey?
Yes – McCook, NE is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,399 per month in Monterrey and $3,915 in McCook, NE. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Monterrey or in McCook, NE?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Monterrey and $74.0 in McCook, NE. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Monterrey and in McCook, NE?
Groceries cost about 35% more in McCook, NE, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Monterrey or in McCook, NE?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in McCook, NE at $2,610. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in McCook, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Monterrey or McCook, NE more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Monterrey or McCook, NE?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, McCook, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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