Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Norman, OK and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,505 in Norman, OK, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Norman, OK
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Norman, OK Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Norman, OK

🇺🇸 United States

$2,505

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,497 in Norman, OK versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Norman, OK $2,497
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,466 in Norman, OK versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Norman, OK $3,466
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,435 in Norman, OK versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Norman, OK $4,435
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Norman, OK is roughly 56% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Norman, OK 85% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.24 $18.24

$13.80 MX$255

32.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 $61.0

$47.99 MX$887

27.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.11 $12.11

$10.65 MX$197

13.71%

Cappuccino

$6.39 $6.39

$3.99 MX$73.7

60.15%

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

$2.76 $2.76

$1.66 MX$30.76

66.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.99 MX$18.21

134.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 $5.63

$2.36 MX$43.64

138.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$4.43 MX$81.8

76.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.82 MX$33.58

-48.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.83 MX$52.4

27.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.92 MX$35.44

91.67%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$2.48 MX$45.78

53.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 $10.91

$11.74 MX$217

-7.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 $10.94

$9.10 MX$168

20.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.38 $19.38

$12.53 MX$232

54.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$3.34 MX$61.6

50.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.57 MX$29.10

12.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.16 MX$39.86

112.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$2.47 MX$45.65

63.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.31 MX$42.64

14.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.68 MX$49.47

8.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.46 MX$26.90

55.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.19 MX$22.07

107.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 $9.94

$4.75 MX$87.8

109.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$13.58 MX$251

5.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.92 MX$35.52

-3.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.88 MX$53.2

9.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.59 MX$29.44

67.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.06 MX$19.58

16.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.23 $24.23

$10.80 MX$200

124.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.55 MX$28.59

-37.42%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

13.25%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

6.71%

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

$189 $189

$117 MX$2,159

61.37%

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

$84.4 $84.4

$26.38 MX$488

219.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.9 $83.9

$26.04 MX$481

222.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 $45.27

$30.26 MX$559

49.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$5.23 MX$96.6

182.22%

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

$1,580 $1,580

$673 MX$12.4K

134.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K $23.3K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

109.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$72.1 MX$1,332

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.96 $40.96

$42.38 MX$783

-3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$112 MX$2,066

-5.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 $143

$119 MX$2,200

19.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 $1,318

$949 MX$17.5K

38.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 $1,196

$666 MX$12.3K

79.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-6.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 $1,590

$1,271 MX$23.5K

25.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,929 $3,929

$1,155 MX$21.3K

240.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.79

-43.85%

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

Last update for Norman, OK: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Norman, OK

$1.2K 47.7%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 44.3% $530

Groceries & Markets

Norman, OK

$392 15.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 22.3% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Norman, OK

$357 14.2%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 52.6% $188

Eating Out

Norman, OK

$323 12.9%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 31.4% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Norman, OK

$154 6.2%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 0.9% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Norman, OK

$75 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 45.6% $34

Getting Around

Norman, OK

$8.8 * 0.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 369% $33

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 $1,274 in Norman, OK and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Norman, OK pays 229% 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: $60.0 in Norman, OK vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $391 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Norman, OK

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

1 h behind Norman, OK

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

102,827

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Norman, OK Monterrey 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Norman, OK
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

Norman, OK vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Norman, OK and Monterrey differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,497 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 229% higher in Norman, OK, 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: $1,274 in Norman, OK versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,594 in Norman, OK versus $673 in Monterrey. 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 $48.00 versus $60.0 in Norman, OK. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,497 in Norman, OK, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Norman, OK. 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 56% less than in Norman, OK. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.