Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $39,200 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
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,906 in New York, NY.

Monterrey $1,641
New York, NY $4,906

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $7,273 in New York, NY.

Monterrey $2,573
New York, NY $7,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $9,641 in New York, NY.

Monterrey $3,504
New York, NY $9,641

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 67% less than in New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, New York, NY 263% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$26.93 $26.93

-50.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$117 $117

-58.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$14.60 $14.60

-26.10%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.7

$6.54 $6.54

-42.35%

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

$1.51 MX$28.37

$3.86 $3.86

-60.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$2.95 $2.95

-65.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$8.08 $8.08

-69.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$9.85 $9.85

-55.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$1.31 $1.31

44.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$4.97 $4.97

-42.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$7.70 $7.70

-75.84%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$6.09 $6.09

-59.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$19.55 $19.55

-39.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$17.59 $17.59

-49.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$20.26 $20.26

-37.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$6.99 $6.99

-54.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$2.21 $2.21

-32.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$6.72 $6.72

-68.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$7.12 $7.12

-67.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$4.61 $4.61

-51.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$4.78 $4.78

-46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.87 $2.87

-49.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$2.69 $2.69

-54.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$19.14 $19.14

-74.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$19.63 $19.63

-32.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$3.32 $3.32

-41.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$4.19 $4.19

-31.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

$3.02 $3.02

-73.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

$139 $139

-77.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$3.04 $3.04

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$2.20 $2.20

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$41.33 $41.33

-73.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$1.13 $1.13

30.09%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$34.5K $34.5K

-30.10%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$25.8K $25.8K

-8.96%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$232 $232

-50.67%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$71.0 $71.0

-62.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$67.7 $67.7

-62.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$115 $115

-73.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

$76.8 $76.8

-72.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$22.41 $22.41

-77.87%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$3,606 $3,606

-81.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$68.7K $68.7K

-79.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$79.3 $79.3

-8.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$51.4 $51.4

-18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$121 $121

-11.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$140 $140

-15.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$4,555 $4,555

-77.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$3,040 $3,040

-76.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$9,742 $9,742

-79.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

$5,331 $5,331

-73.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$18.2K $18.2K

-76.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$6,685 $6,685

-58.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

$5,096 $5,096

-78.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.89

71.12%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 321% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 87.8% $265

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 97% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 123% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 15.3% $23

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 301% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 296% $120

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $4,555 in New York, NY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $117 in New York, NY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $567 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:27 6:27 PM

19:27 7:27 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey New York, NY 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $4,906 in New York, NY, so Monterrey is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Monterrey. 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: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $4,555 in New York, NY. 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 $48 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,641 per month in Monterrey versus $4,906 in New York, NY – Monterrey is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.