Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $39,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY 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 New York, NY and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

New York, NY $4,906
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

New York, NY $7,273
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

New York, NY $9,641
Monterrey $3,504

Living in New York, NY is roughly 199% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$13.37 MX$250

101.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$47.95 MX$897

143.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$10.79 MX$202

35.31%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.77 MX$70.4

73.47%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$1.51 MX$28.26

155.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.03 MX$19.25

186.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.48 MX$46.41

225.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.36 MX$81.5

125.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.89 MX$35.43

-30.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.85 MX$53.3

74.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$1.86 MX$34.71

313.98%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.47 MX$46.12

146.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$11.81 MX$221

65.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$8.97 MX$168

96.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$12.57 MX$235

61.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$3.20 MX$59.8

118.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.50 MX$28.12

47.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$2.12 MX$39.74

216.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.33 MX$43.64

205.58%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.22 MX$41.58

107.66%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.58 MX$48.34

85.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.45 MX$27.04

97.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.22 MX$22.85

120.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$4.80 MX$89.7

298.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$13.30 MX$249

47.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$1.93 MX$36.14

72.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.86 MX$53.4

46.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$0.80 MX$14.94

277.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

$30.94 MX$579

350.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.83 MX$34.28

66.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.06 MX$19.78

107.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$10.82 MX$202

281.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.47 MX$27.54

-23.13%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

43.07%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

9.84%

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

$232 $232

$115 MX$2,144

102.73%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$26.37 MX$493

169.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$25.70 MX$481

163.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$30.53 MX$571

277.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$21.27 MX$398

261.12%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$4.96 MX$92.8

351.81%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$679 MX$12.7K

431.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

384.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$72.2 MX$1,350

9.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$41.94 MX$784

22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$107 MX$2,011

12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$119 MX$2,219

18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$1,018 MX$19.0K

347.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$722 MX$13.5K

321.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,966 MX$36.8K

395.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,416 MX$26.5K

276.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$4,203 MX$78.6K

333.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$2,782 MX$52.0K

140.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$1,096 MX$20.5K

365.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

11.79

-41.56%

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

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Monterrey

$722 44% 76.3% $2.3K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 46.7% $265

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 49.2% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 55.1% $204

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 13.2% $23

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 75.1% $124

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 74.7% $120

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $4,555 in New York, NY and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:49 4:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Monterrey 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Monterrey

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

New York, NY vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 67% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 4.7 times higher, 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: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $1,018 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 $48 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,906 per month in New York, NY versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,906 in New York, NY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in New York, NY. 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 67% less than in New York, NY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.