Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Raleigh, NC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,607 in Raleigh, NC, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Raleigh, NC
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Raleigh, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Raleigh, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Raleigh, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Raleigh, NC $2,607
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,795 in Raleigh, NC versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Raleigh, NC $3,795
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,984 in Raleigh, NC versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Raleigh, NC $4,984
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Raleigh, NC is roughly 59% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Raleigh, NC 93% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.92 $21.92

$13.37 MX$250

63.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.9 $88.9

$47.95 MX$897

85.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 $11.71

$10.79 MX$202

8.53%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$3.77 MX$70.4

48.81%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.51 MX$28.26

92.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.03 MX$19.25

115.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 $5.87

$2.48 MX$46.41

136.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 $7.15

$4.36 MX$81.5

63.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.89 MX$35.43

-53.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 $3.81

$2.85 MX$53.3

33.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.86 MX$34.71

61.83%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.47 MX$46.12

89.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 $15.17

$11.81 MX$221

28.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 $10.20

$8.97 MX$168

13.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 $17.76

$12.57 MX$235

41.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$3.20 MX$59.8

110.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.50 MX$28.12

-17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.12 MX$39.74

108.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.33 MX$43.64

145.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.22 MX$41.58

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.58 MX$48.34

39.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.45 MX$27.04

50.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.22 MX$22.85

76.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.61 $8.61

$4.80 MX$89.7

79.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 $15.16

$13.30 MX$249

13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.93 MX$36.14

16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.86 MX$53.4

-7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.80 MX$14.94

52.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.44 $40.44

$30.94 MX$579

30.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.83 MX$34.28

59.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.06 MX$19.78

79.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.93 $17.93

$10.82 MX$202

65.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.47 MX$27.54

-29.25%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

29.03%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.79%

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

$186 $186

$115 MX$2,144

62.00%

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

$56.5 $56.5

$26.37 MX$493

114.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 $67.9

$25.70 MX$481

164.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.33 $33.33

$30.53 MX$571

9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.72 $5.72

$21.27 MX$398

-73.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$4.96 MX$92.8

197.58%

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

$1,315 $1,315

$679 MX$12.7K

93.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.3K $24.3K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

71.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$72.2 MX$1,350

-23.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 $55.0

$41.94 MX$784

31.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 $93.4

$107 MX$2,011

-13.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$119 MX$2,219

19.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 $1,672

$1,018 MX$19.0K

64.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$722 MX$13.5K

75.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,821 $2,821

$1,966 MX$36.8K

43.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 $1,933

$1,416 MX$26.5K

36.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,477 $4,477

$4,203 MX$78.6K

6.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,148 $2,148

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-22.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,513 $4,513

$1,096 MX$20.5K

311.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

11.79

-42.58%

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

Last update for Raleigh, NC: 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

Raleigh, NC

$1.3K 48.6%

Monterrey

$722 44% 43.1% $546

Groceries & Markets

Raleigh, NC

$412 15.8%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 26.7% $110

Eating Out

Raleigh, NC

$342 13.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 36.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Raleigh, NC

$310 11.9%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 46.2% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Raleigh, NC

$155 6%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 1.4% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Raleigh, NC

$63 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 35.6% $22

Getting Around

Raleigh, NC

$58 2.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 28.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,672 in Raleigh, NC and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $89 in Raleigh, NC vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:02 4:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

1 h behind Raleigh, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

431,746

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

Raleigh, NC Monterrey 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Raleigh, NC
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

Raleigh, NC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,607 in Raleigh, NC and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Raleigh, NC 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: $1,672 in Raleigh, NC 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 Raleigh, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Raleigh, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 37% 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 37% less than in Raleigh, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.