Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paterson, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,772 in Paterson, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Paterson, NJ
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Paterson, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Paterson, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,772

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,772 in Paterson, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Paterson, NJ $2,772
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,196 in Paterson, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Paterson, NJ $4,196
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,621 in Paterson, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Paterson, NJ $5,621
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Paterson, NJ is roughly 69% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Paterson, NJ 105% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 $18.84

$13.37 MX$250

40.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$47.95 MX$897

66.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.17 $14.17

$10.79 MX$202

31.33%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$3.77 MX$70.4

63.66%

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

$2.89 $2.89

$1.51 MX$28.26

91.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.03 MX$19.25

190.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$2.48 MX$46.41

221.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.36 MX$81.5

63.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.89 MX$35.43

-31.22%

White Bread (500g)

$4.60 $4.60

$2.85 MX$53.3

61.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$1.86 MX$34.71

222.04%

Eggs

$5.99 $5.99

$2.47 MX$46.12

142.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 $14.10

$11.81 MX$221

19.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$8.97 MX$168

14.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.65 $19.65

$12.57 MX$235

56.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 $5.90

$3.20 MX$59.8

84.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.50 MX$28.12

54.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.12 MX$39.74

102.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.44 $5.44

$2.33 MX$43.64

133.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$2.22 MX$41.58

39.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.58 MX$48.34

18.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.45 MX$27.04

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.22 MX$22.85

120.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 $14.78

$4.80 MX$89.7

207.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 $14.74

$13.30 MX$249

10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.93 MX$36.14

-7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.86 MX$53.4

21.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.83 MX$34.28

67.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.06 MX$19.78

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.22 $41.22

$10.82 MX$202

280.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.47 MX$27.54

-22.45%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

14.41%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

8.35%

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

$174 $174

$115 MX$2,144

51.71%

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

$50.1 $50.1

$26.37 MX$493

89.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 $50.8

$25.70 MX$481

97.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$19.92 $19.92

$4.96 MX$92.8

301.61%

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

$1,746 $1,746

$679 MX$12.7K

157.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K $20.1K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

41.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.68 $49.68

$72.2 MX$1,350

-31.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$41.94 MX$784

21.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$107 MX$2,011

2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$119 MX$2,219

-12.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,548 $2,548

$1,018 MX$19.0K

150.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,505 $1,505

$722 MX$13.5K

108.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,442 $3,442

$1,966 MX$36.8K

75.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,749 $2,749

$1,416 MX$26.5K

94.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,175 $3,175

$1,096 MX$20.5K

189.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.79

-43.00%

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

Last update for Paterson, NJ: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Paterson, NJ

$1.5K 54.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 52.1% $783

Groceries & Markets

Paterson, NJ

$452 16.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 33.1% $150

Eating Out

Paterson, NJ

$345 12.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 37.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paterson, NJ

$275 9.9%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 39.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Paterson, NJ

$142 5.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 8.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Paterson, NJ

$40 * 1.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 1.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Paterson, NJ

$14 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 200% $28

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 $2,548 in Paterson, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paterson, NJ pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Paterson, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $452 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Paterson, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

1 h behind Paterson, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,000

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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Highest

Between locations

Paterson, NJ Monterrey 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Paterson, NJ
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

Paterson, NJ vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,772 in Paterson, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Paterson, NJ is about 2.9 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: $2,548 in Paterson, NJ versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,746 in Paterson, NJ versus $679 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 versus $80 in Paterson, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Paterson, NJ on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.