Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and South Portland, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,651 a month against $3,084 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,651

/mo nomad

South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in South Portland, ME

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 South Portland, ME actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,651 in Monterrey versus $3,084 in South Portland, ME.

Monterrey $1,651
South Portland, ME $3,084

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,611 in Monterrey versus $4,609 in South Portland, ME.

Monterrey $2,611
South Portland, ME $4,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,571 in Monterrey versus $6,134 in South Portland, ME.

Monterrey $3,571
South Portland, ME $6,134

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 46% less than in South Portland, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 23% above, South Portland, ME 131% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 MX$252

$24.78 $24.78

-45.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.11 MX$890

$120 $120

-59.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 MX$200

$15.02 $15.02

-27.90%

Cappuccino

$3.92 MX$72.5

$5.22 $5.22

-24.90%

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

$1.48 MX$27.39

$3.03 $3.03

-51.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.97

$2.49 $2.49

-58.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 MX$45.52

$7.77 $7.77

-68.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.1

$8.10 $8.10

-47.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MX$34.57

$1.07 $1.07

74.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 MX$51.9

$4.41 $4.41

-36.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.84

$6.88 $6.88

-73.40%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.98

$4.08 $4.08

-40.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 MX$217

$15.78 $15.78

-25.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$10.09 $10.09

-9.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 MX$231

$16.19 $16.19

-22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 MX$60.9

$4.66 $4.66

-29.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 MX$27.85

$1.70 $1.70

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 MX$39.32

$5.40 $5.40

-60.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 MX$44.59

$7.50 $7.50

-67.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 MX$42.99

$4.56 $4.56

-49.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.21

$3.77 $3.77

-30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.41

$3.05 $3.05

-53.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$21.99

$2.61 $2.61

-54.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.79 MX$88.6

$12.38 $12.38

-61.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.43 MX$249

$15.25 $15.25

-11.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 MX$34.87

$1.88 $1.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 MX$54.7

$2.59 $2.59

14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$16.03

$2.08 $2.08

-58.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.74 MX$569

$62.9 $62.9

-51.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.45

$2.65 $2.65

-27.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 MX$19.49

$1.74 $1.74

-39.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.85 MX$201

$27.83 $27.83

-61.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.33

$1.10 $1.10

34.55%

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

$24.2K MX$447.5K

$27.2K $27.2K

-11.18%

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

$23.7K MX$438.3K

$26.8K $26.8K

-11.46%

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

$117 MX$2,169

$234 $234

-49.90%

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

$25.62 MX$474

$68.6 $68.6

-62.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$482

$78.8 $78.8

-66.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 MX$756

$42.09 $42.09

-2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.75 MX$384

$20.02 $20.02

3.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 MX$92.4

$14.82 $14.82

-66.33%

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

$694 MX$12.8K

$394 $394

76.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K MX$261.3K

$27.7K $27.7K

-48.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 MX$1,312

$52.6 $52.6

34.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.78 MX$754

$49.89 $49.89

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$1,982

$102 $102

4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,198

$134 $134

-11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 MX$19.3K

$1,955 $1,955

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 MX$13.2K

$1,566 $1,566

-54.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,958 MX$36.2K

$3,125 $3,125

-37.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 MX$26.9K

$2,621 $2,621

-44.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,379 MX$81.0K

$2,826 $2,826

54.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,758 MX$51.0K

$2,340 $2,340

17.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,142 MX$21.1K

$4,212 $4,212

-72.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.65

77.29%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 7, 2026

Last update for South Portland, ME: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$716 43.4%

South Portland, ME

$1.6K 50.8% 119% $850

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.3%

South Portland, ME

$447 14.5% 48% $145

Eating Out

Monterrey

$219 13.3%

South Portland, ME

$383 12.4% 74.7% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.2%

South Portland, ME

$381 12.4% 126% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$152 9.2%

South Portland, ME

$152 4.9% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$51 3.1%

South Portland, ME

$72 2.3% 41% $21

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

South Portland, ME

$83 2.7% 99.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,044 in Monterrey and $1,955 in South Portland, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $120 in South Portland, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $447 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

26,498

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Monterrey South Portland, ME 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
South Portland, ME

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 South Portland, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,651 in Monterrey and $3,084 in South Portland, ME, so Monterrey is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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: $1,044 in Monterrey versus $1,955 in South Portland, ME. 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 $120 in South Portland, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,651 per month in Monterrey versus $3,084 in South Portland, ME – Monterrey is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,651 in Monterrey versus $3,084 in South Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. 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 46% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.