Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Piscataway, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,250 in Piscataway, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Piscataway, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$3,250

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,250 in Piscataway, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Piscataway, NJ $3,250
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,597 in Piscataway, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Piscataway, NJ $4,597
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,945 in Piscataway, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Piscataway, NJ $5,945
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Piscataway, NJ is roughly 98% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Piscataway, NJ 140% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.04 $15.04

$13.37 MX$251

12.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 $79.2

$47.95 MX$900

65.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.79 MX$203

18.16%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$3.77 MX$70.7

16.71%

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

$2.44 $2.44

$1.51 MX$28.37

61.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.03 MX$19.33

47.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 $6.16

$2.48 MX$46.60

148.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 $7.95

$4.36 MX$81.8

82.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.89 MX$35.58

-30.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.85 MX$53.5

56.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.86 MX$34.86

76.34%

Eggs

$3.55 $3.55

$2.47 MX$46.31

43.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$11.81 MX$222

-5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.08 $10.08

$8.97 MX$168

12.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 $13.75

$12.57 MX$236

9.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.20 MX$60.0

1.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.50 MX$28.23

-3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.12 MX$39.90

53.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.33 MX$43.82

89.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.22 MX$41.75

-10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.58 MX$48.54

-17.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.45 MX$27.15

35.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.22 MX$22.94

20.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.97 $14.97

$4.80 MX$90.1

211.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$13.30 MX$250

12.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.93 MX$36.28

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.86 MX$53.6

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.80 MX$15.00

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.4 $68.4

$30.94 MX$581

121.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.83 MX$34.42

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.06 MX$19.86

107.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.73 $41.73

$10.82 MX$203

285.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.47 MX$27.65

-47.62%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

13.84%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

9.75%

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

$171 $171

$115 MX$2,152

49.05%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$26.37 MX$495

94.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.15 $49.15

$25.70 MX$483

91.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 $36.80

$30.53 MX$573

20.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$17.67 $17.67

$4.96 MX$93.1

256.25%

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

$1,734 $1,734

$679 MX$12.7K

155.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

42.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$72.2 MX$1,356

-30.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.35 $40.35

$41.94 MX$788

-3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$107 MX$2,019

-19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 $90.6

$119 MX$2,228

-23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,106 $2,106

$1,018 MX$19.1K

106.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,070 $2,070

$722 MX$13.6K

186.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,875 $3,875

$1,966 MX$36.9K

97.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,285 $3,285

$1,416 MX$26.6K

132.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,763 $2,763

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-34.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 $1,996

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-28.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,504 $4,504

$1,096 MX$20.6K

311.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

11.79

-44.87%

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

Last update for Piscataway, NJ: 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

Piscataway, NJ

$2.1K 63.7%

Monterrey

$722 44% 65.1% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Piscataway, NJ

$351 10.8%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 13.9% $49

Eating Out

Piscataway, NJ

$274 8.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 21.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Piscataway, NJ

$271 8.3%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 38.5% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Piscataway, NJ

$120 3.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 27.3% $33

Getting Around

Piscataway, NJ

$91 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 54.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Piscataway, NJ

$72 2.2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 43.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,106 in Piscataway, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Piscataway, NJ pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Piscataway, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Piscataway, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

1 h behind Piscataway, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,658

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.99 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Piscataway, NJ Monterrey 2,900 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Piscataway, NJ
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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,250 in Piscataway, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Piscataway, NJ is about 4.1 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: $2,106 in Piscataway, 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 Piscataway, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,250 per month in Piscataway, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,250 in Piscataway, NJ, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Piscataway, NJ. 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 50% less than in Piscataway, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.