Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portland, ME and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,283 in Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Portland, ME
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Portland, ME Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,283

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,283 in Portland, ME versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Portland, ME $3,283
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,743 in Portland, ME versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Portland, ME $4,743
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,204 in Portland, ME versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Portland, ME $6,204
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Portland, ME is roughly 100% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Portland, ME 143% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.75 $24.75

$13.37 MX$250

85.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$47.95 MX$897

145.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.10 $15.10

$10.79 MX$202

39.94%

Cappuccino

$6.15 $6.15

$3.77 MX$70.4

63.13%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.51 MX$28.26

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.03 MX$19.25

139.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.15 $8.15

$2.48 MX$46.41

228.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$4.36 MX$81.5

84.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.89 MX$35.43

-43.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.73 $4.73

$2.85 MX$53.3

65.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.46 $8.46

$1.86 MX$34.71

354.84%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$2.47 MX$46.12

63.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.05 $19.05

$11.81 MX$221

61.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.41 $10.41

$8.97 MX$168

16.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 $16.10

$12.57 MX$235

28.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$3.20 MX$59.8

46.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.50 MX$28.12

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.12 MX$39.74

184.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.89 $6.89

$2.33 MX$43.64

195.71%

Potato (1kg)

$6.18 $6.18

$2.22 MX$41.58

178.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.58 MX$48.34

46.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.45 MX$27.04

118.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.22 MX$22.85

113.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.13 $12.13

$4.80 MX$89.7

152.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$13.30 MX$249

14.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.93 MX$36.14

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.86 MX$53.4

-12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 $2.03

$0.80 MX$14.94

153.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.1 $60.1

$30.94 MX$579

94.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.92 $3.92

$1.83 MX$34.28

114.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.06 MX$19.78

108.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.78 $29.78

$10.82 MX$202

175.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.47 MX$27.54

-20.41%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

11.25%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.27%

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

$225 $225

$115 MX$2,144

96.09%

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

$68.2 $68.2

$26.37 MX$493

158.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.4 $77.4

$25.70 MX$481

201.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 $51.8

$30.53 MX$571

69.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.23 $39.23

$21.27 MX$398

84.44%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$4.96 MX$92.8

185.08%

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

$1,229 $1,229

$679 MX$12.7K

81.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K $27.9K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

96.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$72.2 MX$1,350

-26.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$80.1 $80.1

$41.94 MX$784

91.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$107 MX$2,011

-5.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 $132

$119 MX$2,219

10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 $2,109

$1,018 MX$19.0K

107.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 $1,716

$722 MX$13.5K

137.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,115 $3,115

$1,966 MX$36.8K

58.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,569 $2,569

$1,416 MX$26.5K

81.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,429 $5,429

$4,203 MX$78.6K

29.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,110 $4,110

$2,782 MX$52.0K

47.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,487 $4,487

$1,096 MX$20.5K

309.53%

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 Portland, ME: 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

Portland, ME

$1.7K 52.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 58% $995

Groceries & Markets

Portland, ME

$473 14.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 36.1% $170

Eating Out

Portland, ME

$396 12.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 45.5% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portland, ME

$370 11.3%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 55% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Portland, ME

$165 5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 7% $11

Getting Around

Portland, ME

$83 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 50.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Portland, ME

$80 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 49.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,109 in Portland, ME and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $118 in Portland, ME vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $473 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Portland, ME

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

1 h behind Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

652,503

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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Portland, ME Monterrey 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Portland, ME
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

Portland, ME vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,283 in Portland, ME 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 Portland, ME 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: $2,109 in Portland, ME 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 $118 in Portland, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,283 per month in Portland, ME versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,283 in Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Portland, ME. 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 Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.