Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and North Brunswick, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
121

Cost of Living Index in North Brunswick, NJ
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North Brunswick, NJ Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

North Brunswick, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Monterrey $1,641
North Brunswick, NJ $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,704 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Monterrey $2,573
North Brunswick, NJ $3,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,955 in North Brunswick, NJ.

Monterrey $3,504
North Brunswick, NJ $4,955

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 33% less than in North Brunswick, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, North Brunswick, NJ 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$20.22 $20.22

-33.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$61.1 $61.1

-21.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$11.90 $11.90

-9.33%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.7

$3.03 $3.03

24.42%

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

$1.51 MX$28.37

$2.62 $2.62

-42.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$1.18 $1.18

-12.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$6.69 $6.69

-62.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$6.04 $6.04

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$1.10 $1.10

71.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$1.60 $1.60

78.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$5.70 $5.70

-67.37%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$4.77 $4.77

-48.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$13.22 $13.22

-10.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$16.61 $16.61

-46.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$16.33 $16.33

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$3.85 $3.85

-16.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$1.90 $1.90

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.25 $4.25

-50.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$6.15 $6.15

-62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$3.26 $3.26

-31.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$3.29 $3.29

-21.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.34 $2.34

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$2.01 $2.01

-39.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$15.00 $15.00

-68.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$17.93 $17.93

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$2.62 $2.62

-26.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$4.09 $4.09

-30.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

$1.94 $1.94

-58.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

$53.6 $53.6

-42.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$3.07 $3.07

-40.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$2.16 $2.16

-50.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$42.72 $42.72

-74.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$1.08 $1.08

36.11%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$27.9K $27.9K

-13.59%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$26.7K $26.7K

-11.84%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$128 $128

-10.15%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$47.11 $47.11

-44.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$57.6 $57.6

-55.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$38.45 $38.45

-20.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$13.03 $13.03

-61.93%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$2,704 $2,704

-74.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$15.3K $15.3K

-7.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$54.2 $54.2

33.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$50.9 $50.9

-17.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$120 $120

-10.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$134 $134

-11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$1,555 $1,555

-34.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$1,199 $1,199

-39.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$2,490 $2,490

-21.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

$2,160 $2,160

-34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$3,084 $3,084

36.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$2,485 $2,485

11.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

7.01

68.19%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for North Brunswick, NJ: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

North Brunswick, NJ

$1.2K 48.9% 66.2% $478

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

North Brunswick, NJ

$426 17.4% 41% $124

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

North Brunswick, NJ

$295 12% 36.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

North Brunswick, NJ

$232 9.5% 39.4% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

North Brunswick, NJ

$162 6.6% 5.6% $8.6

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

North Brunswick, NJ

$75 3.1% 82.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

North Brunswick, NJ

$65 2.6% 59.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $61 in North Brunswick, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $426 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 North Brunswick, NJ

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

00:59 12:59 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

43,905

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Monterrey North Brunswick, NJ 2,900 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
North Brunswick, NJ

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 North Brunswick, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ, so Monterrey is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $3,680 in North Brunswick, NJ 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,555 in North Brunswick, NJ. 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 $61 in North Brunswick, NJ. 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 $2,453 in North Brunswick, NJ – Monterrey is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 33% less than in North Brunswick, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.