Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nashville, TN and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,837 in Nashville, TN, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Nashville, TN
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Nashville, TN Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Nashville, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,837

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nashville, TN and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nashville, TN and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,837 in Nashville, TN versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Nashville, TN $2,837
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,263 in Nashville, TN versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Nashville, TN $4,263
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,689 in Nashville, TN versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Nashville, TN $5,689
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Nashville, TN is roughly 76% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nashville, TN 112% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.89 $17.89

$13.75 MX$252

30.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 $84.3

$50.2 MX$921

68.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$11.13 MX$204

9.16%

Cappuccino

$6.56 $6.56

$4.04 MX$74.2

62.38%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.70 MX$31.29

69.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.99 MX$18.17

142.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 $6.87

$2.41 MX$44.21

185.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.48 MX$82.3

80.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.92 MX$35.31

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.89 MX$53.1

34.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$1.94 MX$35.67

106.70%

Eggs

$4.20 $4.20

$2.50 MX$45.90

68.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$12.30 MX$226

3.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.44 $14.44

$9.33 MX$171

54.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 $18.70

$13.07 MX$240

43.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$3.38 MX$62.1

68.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.58 MX$29.02

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.20 MX$40.45

91.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.45 MX$44.89

100.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.26 MX$41.47

15.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.74 MX$50.4

11.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.53 MX$28.09

54.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.26 MX$23.16

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.25 $10.25

$4.84 MX$88.9

111.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.89 $15.89

$13.59 MX$249

16.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.91 MX$35.01

30.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.06 MX$56.3

52.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.80 MX$14.60

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 $65.0

$31.77 MX$583

104.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 $4.92

$1.62 MX$29.78

203.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.10 MX$20.17

38.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.09 $21.09

$10.97 MX$201

92.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 MX$27.93

-33.55%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

74.49%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

9.71%

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

$230 $230

$120 MX$2,198

92.23%

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

$74.3 $74.3

$27.08 MX$497

174.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$26.70 MX$490

183.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 $54.3

$31.15 MX$572

74.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.42 $14.42

$21.95 MX$403

-34.31%

Cinema Ticket

$14.96 $14.96

$5.14 MX$94.4

191.05%

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

$1,469 $1,469

$688 MX$12.6K

113.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

169.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 $54.7

$71.9 MX$1,321

-24.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 $42.23

$43.30 MX$795

-2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$112 MX$2,059

-16.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$122 MX$2,236

15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,958 $1,958

$957 MX$17.6K

104.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 $1,379

$670 MX$12.3K

105.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,364 $4,364

$1,887 MX$34.7K

131.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 $2,427

$1,305 MX$24.0K

86.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,907 $7,907

$4,159 MX$76.4K

90.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,687 $2,687

$2,437 MX$44.7K

10.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,733 $4,733

$1,133 MX$20.8K

317.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.79

-44.44%

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

Last update for Nashville, TN: October 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nashville, TN

$1.4K 48.5%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 51.4% $709

Groceries & Markets

Nashville, TN

$434 15.3%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 28% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nashville, TN

$380 13.4%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 54.4% $207

Eating Out

Nashville, TN

$330 11.6%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 32.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Nashville, TN

$149 5.2%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 5.4% $8.1

Getting Around

Nashville, TN

$86 3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 50.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Nashville, TN

$84 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 50.8% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,958 in Nashville, TN and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nashville, TN pays 318% 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: $84.0 in Nashville, TN vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $434 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Nashville, TN

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

1 h behind Nashville, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

689,447

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Nashville, TN Monterrey 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nashville, TN
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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

Nashville, TN vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nashville, TN and Monterrey differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($2,837 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 318% higher in Nashville, TN, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,958 in Nashville, TN versus $957 in Monterrey. 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 $50.0 versus $84.0 in Nashville, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,837 per month in Nashville, TN versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,837 in Nashville, TN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Nashville, TN. 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 76% less than in Nashville, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.