Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Raleigh, NC

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,607 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Raleigh, NC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,607 in Raleigh, NC.

Monterrey $1,641
Raleigh, NC $2,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,795 in Raleigh, NC.

Monterrey $2,573
Raleigh, NC $3,795

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,984 in Raleigh, NC.

Monterrey $3,504
Raleigh, NC $4,984

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 37% less than in Raleigh, NC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Raleigh, NC 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$21.92 $21.92

-39.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$88.9 $88.9

-46.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$11.71 $11.71

-7.86%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.61 $5.61

-32.80%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.91 $2.91

-48.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$2.22 $2.22

-53.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$5.87 $5.87

-57.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$7.15 $7.15

-39.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$0.88 $0.88

114.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$3.81 $3.81

-25.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$3.01 $3.01

-38.21%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$4.67 $4.67

-47.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$15.17 $15.17

-22.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$10.20 $10.20

-12.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$17.76 $17.76

-29.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$6.72 $6.72

-52.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.24 $1.24

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$4.43 $4.43

-52.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$5.71 $5.71

-59.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$2.96 $2.96

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$3.61 $3.61

-28.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.18 $2.18

-33.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.15 $2.15

-43.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$8.61 $8.61

-44.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$15.16 $15.16

-12.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.24 $2.24

-13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$2.65 $2.65

7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$1.22 $1.22

-34.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$40.44 $40.44

-23.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$2.91 $2.91

-37.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.90 $1.90

-44.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$17.93 $17.93

-39.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.04 $1.04

41.35%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$31.1K $31.1K

-22.50%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$26.1K $26.1K

-9.74%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$186 $186

-38.27%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$56.5 $56.5

-53.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$67.9 $67.9

-62.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$33.33 $33.33

-8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

$5.72 $5.72

271.85%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$14.76 $14.76

-66.40%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,315 $1,315

-48.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$24.3K $24.3K

-41.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$55.3 $55.3

30.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$55.0 $55.0

-23.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$93.4 $93.4

15.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$142 $142

-16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,672 $1,672

-39.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,267 $1,267

-43.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$2,821 $2,821

-30.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,933 $1,933

-26.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$4,477 $4,477

-6.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,148 $2,148

29.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$4,513 $4,513

-75.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.77

74.15%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Raleigh, NC: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.6% 75.6% $546

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Raleigh, NC

$412 15.8% 36.4% $110

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Raleigh, NC

$342 13.1% 58.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Raleigh, NC

$310 11.9% 86% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Raleigh, NC

$155 6% 1.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2% 39.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Raleigh, NC

$63 2.4% 55.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,672 in Raleigh, NC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Raleigh, NC pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $89 in Raleigh, NC for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $412 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

431,746

💱 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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Between locations

Monterrey Raleigh, NC 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Raleigh, NC

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 Raleigh, NC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,607 in Raleigh, NC, so Monterrey is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 76% 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 $1,672 in Raleigh, NC. 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 $89 in Raleigh, NC. 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 $2,607 in Raleigh, NC – Monterrey is about 37% 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 37% less than in Raleigh, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.