Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Paterson, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,772 in Paterson, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Paterson, NJ
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Paterson, NJ Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Paterson, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,772 in Paterson, NJ.

Monterrey $1,641
Paterson, NJ $2,772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $4,196 in Paterson, NJ.

Monterrey $2,573
Paterson, NJ $4,196

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $5,621 in Paterson, NJ.

Monterrey $3,504
Paterson, NJ $5,621

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 41% less than in Paterson, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Paterson, NJ 105% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$18.84 $18.84

-29.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$79.9 $79.9

-40.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$14.17 $14.17

-23.85%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$6.17 $6.17

-38.90%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.89 $2.89

-47.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.99 $2.99

-65.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$7.97 $7.97

-68.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$7.13 $7.13

-38.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$1.30 $1.30

45.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$4.60 $4.60

-38.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$5.99 $5.99

-68.95%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$5.99 $5.99

-58.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$14.10 $14.10

-16.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$10.23 $10.23

-12.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$19.65 $19.65

-36.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$5.90 $5.90

-45.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$2.31 $2.31

-35.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$4.30 $4.30

-50.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$5.44 $5.44

-57.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$3.10 $3.10

-28.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$3.05 $3.05

-15.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.90 $2.90

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.69 $2.69

-54.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$14.78 $14.78

-67.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$14.74 $14.74

-9.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$1.79 $1.79

7.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$3.48 $3.48

-17.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$3.06 $3.06

-40.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$2.14 $2.14

-50.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$41.22 $41.22

-73.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.14 $1.14

28.95%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$27.6K $27.6K

-12.59%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

-7.71%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$174 $174

-34.09%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$50.1 $50.1

-47.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$50.8 $50.8

-49.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$19.92 $19.92

-75.10%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,746 $1,746

-61.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$20.1K $20.1K

-29.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$49.68 $49.68

45.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$51.0 $51.0

-17.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$110 $110

-2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$104 $104

13.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$2,548 $2,548

-60.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,505 $1,505

-52.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$3,442 $3,442

-42.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$2,749 $2,749

-48.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$3,175 $3,175

-65.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.72

75.45%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Paterson, NJ: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Paterson, NJ

$1.5K 54.3% 109% $783

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Paterson, NJ

$452 16.3% 49.5% $150

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Paterson, NJ

$345 12.4% 59.8% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Paterson, NJ

$275 9.9% 64.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Paterson, NJ

$142 5.1% 7.5% $11

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Paterson, NJ

$14 * 0.5% 66.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Paterson, NJ

$40 * 1.4% 1.5% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $2,548 in Paterson, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paterson, NJ pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $80 in Paterson, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $452 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Paterson, NJ

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

16:21 4:21 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

147,000

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Paterson, NJ 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Paterson, 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 Paterson, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,772 in Paterson, NJ, so Monterrey is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 65% 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 $2,548 in Paterson, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $1,746 in Paterson, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $80 in Paterson, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Paterson, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.