Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Saginaw, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,932 in Saginaw, MI, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Saginaw, MI
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Saginaw, MI Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Saginaw, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Saginaw, MI

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 Saginaw, MI actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,932 in Saginaw, MI.

Monterrey $1,641
Saginaw, MI $1,932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,135 in Saginaw, MI.

Monterrey $2,573
Saginaw, MI $3,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,338 in Saginaw, MI.

Monterrey $3,504
Saginaw, MI $4,338

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 15% less than in Saginaw, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Saginaw, MI 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$20.28 $20.28

-34.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$64.4 $64.4

-25.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$10.19 $10.19

5.89%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$5.49 $5.49

-31.33%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.17 $2.17

-30.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.53 $1.53

-32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$5.01 $5.01

-50.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$4.89 $4.89

-10.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$0.96 $0.96

96.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$3.38 $3.38

-15.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$4.00 $4.00

-53.50%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$3.15 $3.15

-21.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$11.27 $11.27

4.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$9.92 $9.92

-9.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$16.03 $16.03

-21.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$3.25 $3.25

-1.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.50 $1.50

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$4.54 $4.54

-53.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$3.67 $3.67

-36.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$2.63 $2.63

-15.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$2.03 $2.03

27.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.53 $2.53

-42.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.27 $2.27

-46.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$9.75 $9.75

-50.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$13.57 $13.57

-1.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.02 $2.02

-4.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$3.07 $3.07

-6.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$1.54 $1.54

-48.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$40.25 $40.25

-23.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$2.56 $2.56

-28.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$2.43 $2.43

-56.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$39.56 $39.56

-72.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.02 $1.02

44.12%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$31.2K $31.2K

-22.82%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$25.8K $25.8K

-8.78%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$176 $176

-35.05%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$25.10 $25.10

5.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$39.67 $39.67

-35.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$11.98 $11.98

-58.60%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,689 $1,689

-59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$19.7K $19.7K

-28.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$45.70 $45.70

57.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$39.23 $39.23

6.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$73.0 $73.0

47.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$77.2 $77.2

53.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$825 $825

23.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$833 $833

-13.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$1,310 $1,310

50.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,901 $1,901

-25.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$1,213 $1,213

246.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$1,225 $1,225

127.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.51

81.11%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saginaw, MI: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Saginaw, MI

$833 43.1% 15.5% $112

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Saginaw, MI

$358 18.5% 18.5% $56

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Saginaw, MI

$308 16% 42.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Saginaw, MI

$241 12.5% 44.7% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Saginaw, MI

$106 5.5% 30.9% $47

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Saginaw, MI

$61 3.2% 48.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Saginaw, MI

$24 * 1.2% 40.8% $16

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 $825 in Saginaw, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $64 in Saginaw, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $358 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Saginaw, MI

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

15:30 3:30 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

44,202

💱 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 Saginaw, MI 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Saginaw, MI

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 Saginaw, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,932 in Saginaw, MI, so Monterrey is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,461 in Monterrey and $2,898 in Saginaw, MI 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 $825 in Saginaw, MI. 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 $64 in Saginaw, MI. 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 $1,932 in Saginaw, MI – Monterrey is about 15% 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.