Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Owensboro, KY and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,990 in Owensboro, KY, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Owensboro, KY
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Owensboro, KY Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

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Owensboro, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,990

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Owensboro, KY versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Owensboro, KY $1,990
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,922 in Owensboro, KY versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Owensboro, KY $2,922
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,855 in Owensboro, KY versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Owensboro, KY $3,855
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Owensboro, KY is roughly 24% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Owensboro, KY 47% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$13.85 MX$256

42.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 $60.8

$49.70 MX$918

22.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 $10.19

$11.05 MX$204

-7.78%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.09 MX$75.6

31.78%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.68 MX$30.97

14.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.03 MX$18.98

28.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.40 MX$44.28

70.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$4.35 MX$80.3

13.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.92 MX$35.55

-58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.94 MX$54.2

8.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$1.88 MX$34.66

138.83%

Eggs

$2.93 $2.93

$2.55 MX$47.06

14.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 $6.65

$11.84 MX$219

-43.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$9.36 MX$173

19.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$13.10 MX$242

-8.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.38 MX$62.5

31.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.52 MX$28.13

-19.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.19 MX$40.51

23.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.36 MX$43.63

52.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.26 MX$41.76

-0.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.73 MX$50.5

-17.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.52 MX$28.17

30.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.24 MX$22.90

17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.87 $8.87

$4.75 MX$87.8

86.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 $7.82

$13.66 MX$252

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.89 MX$34.95

0.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 $5.08

$2.99 MX$55.2

69.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.85 MX$15.78

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.41 $29.41

$30.95 MX$572

-4.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 $5.59

$1.68 MX$30.98

232.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.13 MX$20.87

-8.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.81 $17.81

$11.15 MX$206

59.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 MX$28.91

-45.51%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

74.64%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

7.56%

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

$168 $168

$119 MX$2,206

40.36%

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

$61.0 $61.0

$26.21 MX$484

132.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 $59.9

$26.78 MX$495

123.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 $50.5

$31.03 MX$573

62.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.98 $9.98

$21.43 MX$396

-53.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 $13.34

$5.29 MX$97.7

152.17%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 $75.2

$72.3 MX$1,335

4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.44 $42.44

$42.72 MX$789

-0.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.2 $68.2

$110 MX$2,024

-37.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 $91.5

$117 MX$2,158

-21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$857 $857

$970 MX$17.9K

-11.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 $848

$664 MX$12.3K

27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 $1,401

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-24.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$1,287 MX$23.8K

4.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,690 $1,690

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-59.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,654 $1,654

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-29.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,316 $3,316

$1,146 MX$21.2K

189.26%

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 Owensboro, KY: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Owensboro, KY

$848 42.6%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 21.7% $184

Groceries & Markets

Owensboro, KY

$312 15.7%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 0.4% $1.3

Eating Out

Owensboro, KY

$296 14.9%

Monterrey

$225 14% 24.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Owensboro, KY

$288 14.5%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 40.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Owensboro, KY

$125 6.3%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 23% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Owensboro, KY

$77 3.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 46.1% $36

Getting Around

Owensboro, KY

$44 2.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 5.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $857 in Owensboro, KY and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Owensboro, KY pays 189% 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: $61.0 in Owensboro, KY vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Owensboro, KY

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h behind Owensboro, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,525

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Owensboro, KY Monterrey 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Owensboro, KY
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

Owensboro, KY vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Owensboro, KY and Monterrey differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,990 vs $1,608 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 189% higher in Owensboro, KY, 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: $857 in Owensboro, KY versus $970 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 $61.0 in Owensboro, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 5% less than in Owensboro, KY. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,990 in Owensboro, KY, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Owensboro, KY. 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 24% less than in Owensboro, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.