Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Nagoya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagoya: $1,373 a month against $1,599 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monterrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Nagoya
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Nagoya Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Nagoya

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Nagoya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,373 in Nagoya.

Monterrey $1,599
Nagoya $1,373

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $2,176 in Nagoya.

Monterrey $2,493
Nagoya $2,176

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,979 in Nagoya.

Monterrey $3,387
Nagoya $2,979

Living in Monterrey is roughly 16% more expensive than in Nagoya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Nagoya 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$8.56 ¥1,353

61.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$31.66 ¥5,001

51.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$5.12 ¥809

108.01%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$2.59 ¥410

54.05%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$1.26 ¥199

31.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$0.88 ¥140

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$3.16 ¥500

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$3.22 ¥508

37.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.57 ¥247

15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$1.49 ¥236

89.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$4.08 ¥645

-52.94%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$2.19 ¥345

13.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$15.51 ¥2,450

-24.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$7.03 ¥1,110

29.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$16.86 ¥2,664

-25.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$8.24 ¥1,302

-59.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$3.05 ¥482

-48.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$5.10 ¥805

-57.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$7.96 ¥1,257

-68.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$4.11 ¥650

-43.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$4.65 ¥735

-42.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.16 ¥183

25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$0.90 ¥142

32.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$3.95 ¥623

20.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$9.24 ¥1,460

46.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.51 ¥397

-23.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$2.15 ¥340

33.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.48 ¥233

-46.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

$118 ¥18.6K

-73.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.21 ¥507

-50.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$2.83 ¥446

-62.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$16.07 ¥2,539

-32.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.10 ¥173

40.91%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$21.6K ¥3.4M

11.73%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

57.53%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$115 ¥18.1K

1.87%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$23.43 ¥3,702

12.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$30.91 ¥4,883

-15.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$50.4 ¥7,959

-39.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$13.78 ¥2,177

54.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$12.68 ¥2,003

-58.75%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$573 ¥90.5K

17.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$14.9K ¥2.4M

-25.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$50.2 ¥7,922

43.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$35.45 ¥5,601

19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$60.4 ¥9,543

85.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$97.1 ¥15.3K

22.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$523 ¥82.7K

81.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$352 ¥55.7K

89.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,228 ¥194.0K

48.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$744 ¥117.5K

70.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,026 ¥320.1K

99.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,039 ¥164.1K

126.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$1,871 ¥295.6K

-38.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

2.02

483.66%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nagoya: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Nagoya

$352 25.7% 47.1% $314

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Nagoya

$380 27.7% 24.8% $76

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Nagoya

$146 10.6% 34.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Nagoya

$169 12.3% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Nagoya

$109 8% 29.6% $46

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Nagoya

$141 10.3% 241% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Nagoya

$76 5.5% 86% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Monterrey and $523 in Nagoya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nagoya pays 62% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $32.00 in Nagoya. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $380, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇯🇵 Nagoya

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

19:55 7:55 PM

15 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,236,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Nagoya 10,960 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Nagoya

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 Nagoya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Nagoya differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $1,373 including rent). Nagoya is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Nagoya. 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $523 in Nagoya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nagoya – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $48.00 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,599 per month in Monterrey versus $1,373 in Nagoya – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,373 in Nagoya versus $1,599 in Monterrey, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nagoya but tight or insufficient in Monterrey. The gap between the two cities makes Nagoya the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Nagoya 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 Nagoya gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Monterrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.