Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Joseph, MO and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Saint Joseph, MO
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Saint Joseph, MO Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Saint Joseph, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,485

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Saint Joseph, MO $2,485
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,629 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Saint Joseph, MO $3,629
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,773 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Saint Joseph, MO $4,773
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Saint Joseph, MO is roughly 55% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Joseph, MO 83% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$13.80 MX$255

46.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 $50.1

$47.99 MX$887

4.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 $10.79

$10.65 MX$197

1.31%

Cappuccino

$5.09 $5.09

$3.99 MX$73.7

27.57%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.66 MX$30.76

28.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 $1.10

$0.99 MX$18.21

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.36 MX$43.64

108.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 $7.61

$4.43 MX$81.8

71.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.82 MX$33.58

-51.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.83 MX$52.4

15.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.10 $6.10

$1.92 MX$35.44

217.71%

Eggs

$4.67 $4.67

$2.48 MX$45.78

88.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$11.74 MX$217

-0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$9.10 MX$168

-7.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$12.53 MX$232

17.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.98 $6.98

$3.34 MX$61.6

108.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.57 MX$29.10

37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$2.16 MX$39.86

168.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.47 MX$45.65

76.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.31 MX$42.64

48.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.68 MX$49.47

39.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.46 MX$26.90

30.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.19 MX$22.07

112.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.74 $8.74

$4.75 MX$87.8

84.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.28 $17.28

$13.58 MX$251

27.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.92 MX$35.52

-2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.88 MX$53.2

-14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.79 MX$14.66

149.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$1.59 MX$29.44

220.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.06 MX$19.58

70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.53 $35.53

$10.80 MX$200

228.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 MX$28.59

-32.90%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

14.57%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

8.55%

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

$147 $147

$117 MX$2,159

25.81%

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

$47.87 $47.87

$26.38 MX$488

81.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$26.04 MX$481

153.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.97 $40.97

$30.26 MX$559

35.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 $15.29

$5.23 MX$96.6

192.35%

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

$812 $812

$673 MX$12.4K

20.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K $20.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

87.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.92 $47.92

$72.1 MX$1,332

-33.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 $34.63

$42.38 MX$783

-18.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 $89.1

$112 MX$2,066

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$119 MX$2,200

-2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$949 MX$17.5K

70.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 $1,289

$666 MX$12.3K

93.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,489 $2,489

$1,821 MX$33.7K

36.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 $2,185

$1,271 MX$23.5K

71.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,569 $1,569

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-61.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,566 $1,566

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-33.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,880 $2,880

$1,155 MX$21.3K

149.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.79

-45.97%

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

Last update for Saint Joseph, MO: October 17, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Joseph, MO

$1.3K 51.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 48.3% $623

Groceries & Markets

Saint Joseph, MO

$403 16.2%

Monterrey

$304 19% 24.5% $99

Eating Out

Saint Joseph, MO

$308 12.4%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 28.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Joseph, MO

$261 10.5%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 35.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Joseph, MO

$130 5.2%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 20% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Joseph, MO

$72 2.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 43.1% $31

Getting Around

Saint Joseph, MO

$22 * 0.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 87.8% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Joseph, MO pays 149% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Joseph, MO

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h behind Saint Joseph, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,780

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Joseph, MO Monterrey 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Joseph, MO
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

Saint Joseph, MO vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Joseph, MO and Monterrey differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($2,485 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 149% higher in Saint Joseph, MO, 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: $1,616 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $812 in Saint Joseph, MO versus $673 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $50.0 in Saint Joseph, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,485 in Saint Joseph, MO, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Saint Joseph, MO. 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 55% less than in Saint Joseph, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.