Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and St. Cloud, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
94

Cost of Living Index in St. Cloud, MN
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St. Cloud, MN Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

St. Cloud, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in St. Cloud, MN

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 St. Cloud, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN.

Monterrey $1,607
St. Cloud, MN $1,929

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,044 in St. Cloud, MN.

Monterrey $2,512
St. Cloud, MN $3,044

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $4,158 in St. Cloud, MN.

Monterrey $3,417
St. Cloud, MN $4,158

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 17% less than in St. Cloud, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, St. Cloud, MN 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$253

$20.17 $20.17

-31.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$924

$74.1 $74.1

-32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$205

$11.08 $11.08

0.45%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.5

$5.87 $5.87

-31.18%

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

$1.70 MX$31.39

$2.81 $2.81

-39.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.22

$2.46 $2.46

-59.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.35

$6.86 $6.86

-64.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.6

$8.08 $8.08

-44.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.42

$0.76 $0.76

152.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.2

$2.79 $2.79

3.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.78

$3.28 $3.28

-40.85%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.05

$2.31 $2.31

8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$227

$4.83 $4.83

154.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$9.61 $9.61

-2.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$241

$17.95 $17.95

-27.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.3

$3.80 $3.80

-11.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.12

$1.29 $1.29

22.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.58

$3.39 $3.39

-35.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$45.04

$2.16 $2.16

13.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.61

$0.79 $0.79

186.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.5

$1.67 $1.67

64.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.18

$2.03 $2.03

-24.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.83 $1.83

-31.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$89.2

$9.97 $9.97

-51.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$250

$11.87 $11.87

14.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.12

$1.78 $1.78

7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.5

$3.27 $3.27

-6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.65

$2.07 $2.07

-61.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$585

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.88

$3.01 $3.01

-46.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.24

$1.93 $1.93

-43.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$202

$32.78 $32.78

-66.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.03

$0.88 $0.88

72.73%

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

$21.4K MX$393.7K

$32.4K $32.4K

-34.13%

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

$25.5K MX$469.1K

$22.5K $22.5K

13.01%

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

$120 MX$2,205

$168 $168

-28.86%

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

$27.08 MX$499

$45.83 $45.83

-40.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$492

$44.18 $44.18

-39.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$574

$41.54 $41.54

-25.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.7

$14.03 $14.03

-63.36%

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

$688 MX$12.7K

$1,697 $1,697

-59.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$210.5K

$24.3K $24.3K

-53.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,325

$62.6 $62.6

14.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$798

$62.2 $62.2

-30.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,065

$73.9 $73.9

51.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,244

$85.4 $85.4

42.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$992 $992

-3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$819 $819

-18.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.8K

$1,892 $1,892

-0.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$1,626 $1,626

-19.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.6K

$2,638 $2,638

57.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.9K

$2,594 $2,594

-6.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.9K

$6,096 $6,096

-81.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.61

78.37%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for St. Cloud, MN: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

St. Cloud, MN

$819 42.4% 22.2% $149

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

St. Cloud, MN

$300 15.5% 3.9% $12

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

St. Cloud, MN

$337 17.4% 50.5% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

St. Cloud, MN

$258 13.4% 48.9% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

St. Cloud, MN

$128 6.6% 18.7% $29

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

St. Cloud, MN

$21 * 1.1% 50.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

St. Cloud, MN

$70 3.6% 68% $28

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 $957 in Monterrey and $992 in St. Cloud, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Cloud, MN pays 438% 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: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $74.0 in St. Cloud, MN. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $300, with St. Cloud, MN cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 St. Cloud, MN

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

65,842

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey St. Cloud, MN 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
St. Cloud, MN

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 St. Cloud, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and St. Cloud, MN differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $1,929 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 438% lower in St. Cloud, MN. 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $992 in St. Cloud, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Monterrey versus $1,697 in St. Cloud, MN. 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 $50.0 versus $74.0 in St. Cloud, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,929 in St. Cloud, MN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in St. Cloud, MN. 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 20% less than in St. Cloud, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.