Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Saint Joseph, MI

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,925 in Saint Joseph, MI, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MI
Learn more

Saint Joseph, MI Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Saint Joseph, MI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,925 in Saint Joseph, MI.

Monterrey $1,641
Saint Joseph, MI $1,925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,077 in Saint Joseph, MI.

Monterrey $2,573
Saint Joseph, MI $3,077

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,229 in Saint Joseph, MI.

Monterrey $3,504
Saint Joseph, MI $4,229

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 15% less than in Saint Joseph, MI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Saint Joseph, MI 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$13.88 $13.88

-3.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$73.8 $73.8

-34.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$9.10 $9.10

18.57%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$4.05 $4.05

-6.91%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$3.00 $3.00

-49.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.96 $1.96

-47.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$3.92 $3.92

-36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$5.09 $5.09

-14.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$0.81 $0.81

133.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$2.74 $2.74

4.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$2.86 $2.86

-34.97%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$3.65 $3.65

-32.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$7.78 $7.78

51.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$10.87 $10.87

-17.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$8.57 $8.57

46.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$5.76 $5.76

-44.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.72 $1.72

-12.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$3.47 $3.47

-38.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$5.41 $5.41

-56.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$1.70 $1.70

30.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$3.32 $3.32

-22.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$1.61 $1.61

-9.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$2.54 $2.54

-51.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$12.12 $12.12

-60.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$8.10 $8.10

64.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$1.68 $1.68

14.88%

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

$1.74 $1.74

-54.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$61.3 $61.3

-49.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$3.64 $3.64

-49.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.50 $1.50

-29.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$30.27 $30.27

-64.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$0.85 $0.85

72.94%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$24.1K $24.1K

-0.19%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$26.0K $26.0K

-9.48%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$171 $171

-32.80%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$52.8 $52.8

-50.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$50.3 $50.3

-48.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$39.48 $39.48

-22.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$10.64 $10.64

-53.38%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$1,518 $1,518

-55.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$22.2K $22.2K

-36.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$39.63 $39.63

82.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$49.78 $49.78

-15.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$73.7 $73.7

45.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$75.7 $75.7

56.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,074 $1,074

-5.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$843 $843

-14.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$1,872 $1,872

5.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,788 $1,788

-20.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$2,543 $2,543

65.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$2,551 $2,551

9.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$5,016 $5,016

-78.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.35

85.67%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saint Joseph, MI: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Saint Joseph, MI

$843 43.8% 16.9% $122

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Saint Joseph, MI

$324 16.8% 7.3% $22

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Saint Joseph, MI

$237 12.3% 9.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Saint Joseph, MI

$274 14.2% 64.2% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Saint Joseph, MI

$107 5.6% 29.8% $46

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Saint Joseph, MI

$79 4.1% 92.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Saint Joseph, MI

$61 3.2% 50.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,074 in Saint Joseph, MI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Joseph, MI pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $74 in Saint Joseph, MI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $324 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MI

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

76,780

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Saint Joseph, MI 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Saint Joseph, 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 Saint Joseph, MI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,925 in Saint Joseph, MI, so Monterrey is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 78% 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 $1,074 in Saint Joseph, 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 $74 in Saint Joseph, 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 $1,925 in Saint Joseph, 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Saint Joseph, MI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.