Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Toms River, NJ

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,859 in Toms River, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Toms River, NJ, United States
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Toms River, NJ
🇺🇸 United States
$2,859
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Toms River, NJ

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 Toms River, NJ actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,859 in Toms River, NJ.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Toms River, NJ $2,859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $4,325 in Toms River, NJ.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Toms River, NJ $4,325

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $5,791 in Toms River, NJ.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Toms River, NJ $5,791

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 43% less than in Toms River, NJ, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Toms River, NJ 111% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$250
$20.27 $20.27
-34.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$897
$74.1 $74.1
-35.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$202
$11.92 $11.92
-9.48%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.4
$5.42 $5.42
-30.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.26
$2.62 $2.62
-42.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.25
$1.92 $1.92
-46.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.41
$5.14 $5.14
-51.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$81.5
$6.85 $6.85
-36.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.43
$1.36 $1.36
38.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.3
$4.79 $4.79
-40.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.71
$2.33 $2.33
-20.17%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$46.12
$4.46 $4.46
-44.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$221
$16.78 $16.78
-29.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$168
$16.76 $16.76
-46.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$235
$16.60 $16.60
-24.28%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$59.8
$5.74 $5.74
-44.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$28.12
$1.30 $1.30
15.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.74
$5.09 $5.09
-58.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.64
$5.91 $5.91
-60.58%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.58
$1.52 $1.52
46.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.34
$2.72 $2.72
-5.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$27.04
$2.43 $2.43
-40.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.85
$2.01 $2.01
-39.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$89.7
$10.06 $10.06
-52.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$249
$9.70 $9.70
37.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$36.14
$2.78 $2.78
-30.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.4
$3.37 $3.37
-15.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$14.94
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$579
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.28
$3.02 $3.02
-39.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.78
$2.22 $2.22
-52.25%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$202
$41.39 $41.39
-73.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.54
$0.98 $0.98
50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$450.4K
$30.6K $30.6K
-21.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.2K
$26.3K $26.3K
-10.64%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,144
$217 $217
-47.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$493
$36.16 $36.16
-27.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$481
$63.0 $63.0
-59.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$571
$29.57 $29.57
3.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$398
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$92.8
$17.21 $17.21
-71.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.7K
$3,056 $3,056
-77.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$265.3K
$51.2K $51.2K
-72.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,350
$68.7 $68.7
5.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$784
$77.2 $77.2
-45.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,011
$122 $122
-11.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,219
$120 $120
-1.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$19.0K
$1,678 $1,678
-39.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.5K
$1,527 $1,527
-52.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$36.8K
$2,822 $2,822
-30.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.5K
$2,847 $2,847
-50.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$78.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$52.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Toms River, NJ
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.5K
$5,381 $5,381
-79.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
6.78
73.89%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Toms River, NJ: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Toms River, NJ
$1.5K 112% $806
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Toms River, NJ
$443 46.6% $141
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Toms River, NJ
$320 48.5% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Toms River, NJ
$316 89.5% $149
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Toms River, NJ
$175 14% $21
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Toms River, NJ
$14 * 65.7% $27
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Toms River, NJ
$64 58.2% $24

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 $1,678 in Toms River, NJ. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toms River, NJ pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $74 in Toms River, NJ for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $443 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇺🇸 Toms River, NJ
🕒 Local time
19:56 7:56 PM
20:56 8:56 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
95,438
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Toms River, NJ 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Toms River, NJ

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 Toms River, NJ: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Monterrey and in Toms River, NJ?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,859 in Toms River, NJ, so Monterrey is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 80% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Monterrey and in Toms River, NJ?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,678 in Toms River, NJ. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Monterrey and Toms River, NJ?
Childcare runs $679 in Monterrey versus $3,056 in Toms River, NJ. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $74 in Toms River, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How does quality of life compare between Monterrey and Toms River, NJ?
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.
How do I decide between Monterrey and Toms River, NJ?
It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Toms River, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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