Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Philadelphia, PA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,847 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,847

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,847 in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Philadelphia, PA $2,847
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,267 in Philadelphia, PA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Philadelphia, PA $4,267
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,686 in Philadelphia, PA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Philadelphia, PA $5,686
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Philadelphia, PA is roughly 74% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Philadelphia, PA 111% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.08 $23.08

$13.37 MX$251

72.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.7 $88.7

$47.95 MX$900

85.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.92 $12.92

$10.79 MX$203

19.74%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$3.77 MX$70.7

37.67%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.51 MX$28.37

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.03 MX$19.33

122.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.48 MX$46.60

148.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$4.36 MX$81.8

79.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.89 MX$35.58

-21.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.85 MX$53.5

54.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.08 $7.08

$1.86 MX$34.86

280.65%

Eggs

$5.30 $5.30

$2.47 MX$46.31

114.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.89 $11.89

$11.81 MX$222

0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.71 $12.71

$8.97 MX$168

41.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 $18.25

$12.57 MX$236

45.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 $5.99

$3.20 MX$60.0

87.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.50 MX$28.23

2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$2.12 MX$39.90

165.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$2.33 MX$43.82

139.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.22 MX$41.75

30.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.58 MX$48.54

27.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.45 MX$27.15

68.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.22 MX$22.94

109.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$4.80 MX$90.1

144.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$13.30 MX$250

13.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.93 MX$36.28

19.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.86 MX$53.6

57.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 $2.88

$0.80 MX$15.00

260.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$30.94 MX$581

277.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.83 MX$34.42

45.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.06 MX$19.86

79.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.55 $26.55

$10.82 MX$203

145.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.47 MX$27.65

-21.77%

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

$32.2K $32.2K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

33.58%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

9.65%

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

$228 $228

$115 MX$2,152

98.59%

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

$64.6 $64.6

$26.37 MX$495

145.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 $64.8

$25.70 MX$483

151.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.0 $71.0

$30.53 MX$573

132.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$89.8 $89.8

$21.27 MX$400

322.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$4.96 MX$93.1

196.37%

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

$2,073 $2,073

$679 MX$12.7K

205.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.6K $45.6K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

221.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.80 $49.80

$72.2 MX$1,356

-31.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 $44.19

$41.94 MX$788

5.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$107 MX$2,019

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$119 MX$2,228

18.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,018 MX$19.1K

107.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 $1,284

$722 MX$13.6K

77.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,534 $4,534

$1,966 MX$36.9K

130.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 $2,136

$1,416 MX$26.6K

50.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,213 $4,213

$4,203 MX$78.9K

0.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 $1,874

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-32.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,231 $4,231

$1,096 MX$20.6K

286.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.79

-42.15%

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

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 45.1%

Monterrey

$722 44% 43.8% $562

Groceries & Markets

Philadelphia, PA

$459 16.1%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 34.1% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philadelphia, PA

$357 12.5%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.3% $190

Eating Out

Philadelphia, PA

$353 12.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 38.9% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Philadelphia, PA

$154 5.4%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.3% $0.5

Getting Around

Philadelphia, PA

$141 4.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 70.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Philadelphia, PA

$100 3.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 59.7% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,107 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Philadelphia, PA pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Philadelphia, PA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

1 h behind Philadelphia, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,573,916

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Philadelphia, PA Monterrey 2,820 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Philadelphia, PA
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

Philadelphia, PA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,847 in Philadelphia, PA and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Philadelphia, PA is about 3.9 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: $2,107 in Philadelphia, PA 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 $89 in Philadelphia, PA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,847 per month in Philadelphia, PA versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 42% less than in Philadelphia, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.