Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Saint Joseph, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MO
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Saint Joseph, MO Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Saint Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Saint Joseph, MO

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Monterrey $1,599
Saint Joseph, MO $2,485

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $3,629 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Monterrey $2,493
Saint Joseph, MO $3,629

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $4,773 in Saint Joseph, MO.

Monterrey $3,387
Saint Joseph, MO $4,773

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 36% less than in Saint Joseph, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Saint Joseph, MO 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$20.25 $20.25

-31.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$50.1 $50.1

-4.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$10.79 $10.79

-1.30%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.09 $5.09

-21.61%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.14 $2.14

-22.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.10 $1.10

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$4.92 $4.92

-52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$7.61 $7.61

-41.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.89 $0.89

104.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.26 $3.26

-13.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$6.10 $6.10

-68.52%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$4.67 $4.67

-46.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$11.63 $11.63

0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$8.39 $8.39

8.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$14.71 $14.71

-14.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$6.98 $6.98

-52.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$2.16 $2.16

-27.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$5.80 $5.80

-62.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.36 $4.36

-43.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$3.42 $3.42

-32.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$3.73 $3.73

-28.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.91 $1.91

-23.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.53 $2.53

-52.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.74 $8.74

-45.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$17.28 $17.28

-21.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.87 $1.87

2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$2.45 $2.45

17.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.97 $1.97

-59.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$5.10 $5.10

-68.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.81 $1.81

-41.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$35.53 $35.53

-69.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.04 $1.04

49.04%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$27.7K $27.7K

-12.72%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$26.4K $26.4K

-7.88%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$147 $147

-20.52%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$47.87 $47.87

-44.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$66.0 $66.0

-60.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$40.97 $40.97

-26.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$15.29 $15.29

-65.79%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$812 $812

-17.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$20.8K $20.8K

-46.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$47.92 $47.92

50.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$34.63 $34.63

22.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$89.1 $89.1

25.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$116 $116

2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,616 $1,616

-41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,289 $1,289

-48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,489 $2,489

-26.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,185 $2,185

-41.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,569 $1,569

158.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,566 $1,566

49.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$2,880 $2,880

-59.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.37

85.09%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Saint Joseph, MO: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Saint Joseph, MO

$1.3K 51.9% 93.5% $623

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Saint Joseph, MO

$403 16.2% 32.4% $99

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Saint Joseph, MO

$308 12.4% 39.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Saint Joseph, MO

$261 10.5% 54.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Saint Joseph, MO

$130 5.2% 16.7% $26

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Saint Joseph, MO

$22 * 0.9% 46.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Saint Joseph, MO

$72 2.9% 75.8% $31

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 $949 in Monterrey and $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Joseph, MO pays 149% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $403 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MO

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

21:27 9:27 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 = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Saint Joseph, MO 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Saint Joseph, MO

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, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Saint Joseph, MO differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,485 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 149% lower in Saint Joseph, MO. 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $812 in Saint Joseph, MO. 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 $48.00 versus $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Saint Joseph, MO. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 55% less than in Saint Joseph, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.