Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth Amboy, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,497 in Perth Amboy, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Perth Amboy, NJ
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Perth Amboy, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Perth Amboy, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,497

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,497 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Perth Amboy, NJ $2,497
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,699 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Perth Amboy, NJ $3,699
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,901 in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Perth Amboy, NJ $4,901
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Perth Amboy, NJ is roughly 52% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth Amboy, NJ 85% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.95 $18.95

$13.37 MX$250

41.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$47.95 MX$897

64.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.92 $12.92

$10.79 MX$202

19.74%

Cappuccino

$6.20 $6.20

$3.77 MX$70.4

64.46%

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

$2.57 $2.57

$1.51 MX$28.26

70.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.03 MX$19.25

47.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.96 $8.96

$2.48 MX$46.41

261.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.36 MX$81.5

56.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.89 MX$35.43

-39.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.85 MX$53.3

-21.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.16 $6.16

$1.86 MX$34.71

231.18%

Eggs

$2.94 $2.94

$2.47 MX$46.12

19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$11.81 MX$221

20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$8.97 MX$168

16.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 $19.88

$12.57 MX$235

58.15%

Apples (1kg)

$6.14 $6.14

$3.20 MX$59.8

91.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.50 MX$28.12

132.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.12 MX$39.74

97.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.33 MX$43.64

123.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.22 MX$41.58

-34.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.58 MX$48.34

-46.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.45 MX$27.04

1.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.22 MX$22.85

139.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.82 $14.82

$4.80 MX$89.7

208.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.85 $11.85

$13.30 MX$249

-10.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.93 MX$36.14

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.86 MX$53.4

27.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.80 MX$14.94

123.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 $57.9

$30.94 MX$579

87.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.83 MX$34.28

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.06 MX$19.78

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.29 $41.29

$10.82 MX$202

281.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.47 MX$27.54

-27.21%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

14.54%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.59%

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

$171 $171

$115 MX$2,144

49.33%

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

$23.96 $23.96

$26.37 MX$493

-9.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.92 $49.92

$25.70 MX$481

94.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.57 $39.57

$30.53 MX$571

29.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$18.29 $18.29

$4.96 MX$92.8

268.75%

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

$1,741 $1,741

$679 MX$12.7K

156.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.70 $32.70

$72.2 MX$1,350

-54.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.16 $41.16

$41.94 MX$784

-1.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 $77.3

$107 MX$2,011

-28.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 $97.5

$119 MX$2,219

-17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,018 MX$19.0K

57.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$722 MX$13.5K

71.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,931 $2,931

$1,966 MX$36.8K

49.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 $2,063

$1,416 MX$26.5K

45.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,800 $2,800

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-33.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,609 $2,609

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-6.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 $3,333

$1,096 MX$20.5K

204.15%

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 Perth Amboy, NJ: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth Amboy, NJ

$1.2K 49.6%

Monterrey

$722 44% 41.7% $517

Groceries & Markets

Perth Amboy, NJ

$407 16.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 25.8% $105

Eating Out

Perth Amboy, NJ

$340 13.6%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 36.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth Amboy, NJ

$245 9.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 32% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Perth Amboy, NJ

$112 4.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 36.8% $41

Getting Around

Perth Amboy, NJ

$79 3.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 47.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Perth Amboy, NJ

$76 3.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 46.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Perth Amboy, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth Amboy, NJ pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Perth Amboy, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Perth Amboy, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

17:29 5:29 PM

1 h behind Perth Amboy, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,607

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 →

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Between locations

Perth Amboy, NJ Monterrey 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Perth Amboy, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,497 in Perth Amboy, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 34% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Perth Amboy, NJ is about 3 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: $1,604 in Perth Amboy, NJ 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 $79 in Perth Amboy, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,497 per month in Perth Amboy, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 34% less than in Perth Amboy, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.