Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Opelousas, LA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,710 in Opelousas, LA, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Opelousas, LA despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Opelousas, LA
Learn more

Opelousas, LA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Opelousas, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,710 in Opelousas, LA versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Opelousas, LA $1,710
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,643 in Opelousas, LA versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Opelousas, LA $2,643
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,577 in Opelousas, LA versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Opelousas, LA $3,577
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Opelousas, LA is roughly 7% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Opelousas, LA 26% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 $20.08

$13.80 MX$255

45.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 $74.0

$47.99 MX$887

54.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 $11.35

$10.65 MX$197

6.57%

Cappuccino

$5.27 $5.27

$3.99 MX$73.7

32.08%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.66 MX$30.76

56.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.99 MX$18.21

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$2.36 MX$43.64

152.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.46 $7.46

$4.43 MX$81.8

68.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.82 MX$33.58

-53.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.83 MX$52.4

-7.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.92 MX$35.44

130.21%

Eggs

$4.26 $4.26

$2.48 MX$45.78

71.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 $12.77

$11.74 MX$217

8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.75 $11.75

$9.10 MX$168

29.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 $17.10

$12.53 MX$232

36.47%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.34 MX$61.6

49.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.57 MX$29.10

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.16 MX$39.86

102.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.47 MX$45.65

94.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.31 MX$42.64

21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.68 MX$49.47

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.46 MX$26.90

48.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.19 MX$22.07

87.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.93 $9.93

$4.75 MX$87.8

109.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.15 $15.15

$13.58 MX$251

11.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.92 MX$35.52

2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.88 MX$53.2

17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.79 MX$14.66

145.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.59 MX$29.44

69.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.06 MX$19.58

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 $26.51

$10.80 MX$200

145.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 MX$28.59

-40.65%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

14.33%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-0.95%

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

$200 $200

$117 MX$2,159

71.03%

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

$57.6 $57.6

$26.38 MX$488

118.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$26.04 MX$481

165.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.72 $44.72

$30.26 MX$559

47.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$14.41 $14.41

$5.23 MX$96.6

175.53%

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

$1,388 $1,388

$673 MX$12.4K

106.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

114.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 $54.0

$72.1 MX$1,332

-25.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.64 $41.64

$42.38 MX$783

-1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 $89.1

$112 MX$2,066

-20.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$119 MX$2,200

-3.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$615 $615

$949 MX$17.5K

-35.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 $445

$666 MX$12.3K

-33.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 $1,150

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-36.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 $789

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-37.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 $3,036

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-25.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,696 $2,696

$2,348 MX$43.4K

14.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,953 $2,953

$1,155 MX$21.3K

155.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Opelousas, LA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Opelousas, LA

$445 26%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 49.8% $222

Groceries & Markets

Opelousas, LA

$390 22.8%

Monterrey

$304 19% 21.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Opelousas, LA

$327 19.1%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 48.2% $157

Eating Out

Opelousas, LA

$321 18.8%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 31% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Opelousas, LA

$135 7.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 15.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Opelousas, LA

$74 4.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 44.6% $33

Getting Around

Opelousas, LA

$19 * 1.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 115% $22

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 $615 in Opelousas, LA and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Opelousas, LA pays 156% 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: $74.0 in Opelousas, LA vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Opelousas, LA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

1 h behind Opelousas, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,222

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Opelousas, LA Monterrey 970 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Opelousas, LA
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

Opelousas, LA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Opelousas, LA and Monterrey differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,710 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 156% higher in Opelousas, LA, 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: $615 in Opelousas, LA versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,388 in Opelousas, LA 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 $74.0 in Opelousas, LA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,710 in Opelousas, LA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Opelousas, LA. 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 7% less than in Opelousas, LA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.