Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and North Charleston, SC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,964 in North Charleston, SC, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
141

Cost of Living Index in North Charleston, SC
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North Charleston, SC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

North Charleston, SC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in North Charleston, SC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,964 in North Charleston, SC.

Monterrey $1,641
North Charleston, SC $2,964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $4,247 in North Charleston, SC.

Monterrey $2,573
North Charleston, SC $4,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $5,530 in North Charleston, SC.

Monterrey $3,504
North Charleston, SC $5,530

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 45% less than in North Charleston, SC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, North Charleston, SC 119% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$19.99 $19.99

-33.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$90.6 $90.6

-47.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$11.77 $11.77

-8.33%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.85 $5.85

-35.56%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.92 $2.92

-48.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.48 $2.48

-58.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$5.86 $5.86

-57.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$8.03 $8.03

-45.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$0.99 $0.99

90.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$3.74 $3.74

-23.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$4.52 $4.52

-58.85%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$4.94 $4.94

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$6.98 $6.98

69.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$14.80 $14.80

-39.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$20.65 $20.65

-39.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$7.99 $7.99

-59.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.77 $1.77

-15.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$5.03 $5.03

-57.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$6.17 $6.17

-62.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$4.24 $4.24

-47.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$3.25 $3.25

-20.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.69 $2.69

-46.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$1.97 $1.97

-38.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$9.07 $9.07

-47.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$15.52 $15.52

-14.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.11 $2.11

-8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$2.98 $2.98

-4.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$2.47 $2.47

-67.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$50.1 $50.1

-38.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$2.94 $2.94

-37.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.22 $1.22

-13.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$25.47 $25.47

-57.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.01 $1.01

45.54%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

-9.94%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$25.1K $25.1K

-6.14%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$233 $233

-50.77%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$74.5 $74.5

-64.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$84.9 $84.9

-69.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$17.26 $17.26

76.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.28 $14.28

-65.27%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$933 $933

-27.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$18.4K $18.4K

-22.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$55.8 $55.8

29.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$43.75 $43.75

-4.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$115 $115

-6.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$129 $129

-8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$2,000 $2,000

-49.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,525 $1,525

-52.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$2,474 $2,474

-20.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$2,330 $2,330

-39.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$2,861 $2,861

46.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,816 $2,816

-1.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$3,763 $3,763

-70.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.61

78.37%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for North Charleston, SC: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

North Charleston, SC

$1.5K 51.5% 111% $804

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

North Charleston, SC

$445 15% 47.2% $143

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

North Charleston, SC

$332 11.2% 54% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

North Charleston, SC

$392 13.2% 135% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

North Charleston, SC

$155 5.2% 0.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

North Charleston, SC

$69 2.3% 67.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

North Charleston, SC

$46 1.6% 13.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $2,000 in North Charleston, SC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

North Charleston, SC pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $91 in North Charleston, SC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $445 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 North Charleston, SC

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

97,471

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 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 = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Monterrey North Charleston, SC 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
North Charleston, SC

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 Charleston, SC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,964 in North Charleston, SC, so Monterrey is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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 $2,000 in North Charleston, SC. 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 $91 in North Charleston, SC. 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 $2,964 in North Charleston, SC – Monterrey is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 45% less than in North Charleston, SC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.