Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Louis, MO and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,440 in Saint Louis, MO, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Louis, MO
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Saint Louis, MO Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Saint Louis, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,440

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,440 in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Saint Louis, MO $2,440
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,667 in Saint Louis, MO versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Saint Louis, MO $3,667
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,895 in Saint Louis, MO versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Saint Louis, MO $4,895
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Saint Louis, MO is roughly 52% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Louis, MO 82% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 $18.17

$13.75 MX$252

32.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 $77.8

$50.2 MX$921

55.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 $11.76

$11.13 MX$204

5.66%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.04 MX$74.2

28.71%

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

$2.41 $2.41

$1.70 MX$31.29

41.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.99 MX$18.17

72.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 $5.71

$2.41 MX$44.21

136.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 $7.13

$4.48 MX$82.3

59.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.92 MX$35.31

-34.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 $3.90

$2.89 MX$53.1

34.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$1.94 MX$35.67

205.67%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.50 MX$45.90

60.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$12.30 MX$226

5.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$9.33 MX$171

69.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.86 $20.86

$13.07 MX$240

59.60%

Apples (1kg)

$8.62 $8.62

$3.38 MX$62.1

155.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.58 MX$29.02

51.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.73 $5.73

$2.20 MX$40.45

160.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$2.45 MX$44.89

115.10%

Potato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.26 MX$41.47

92.92%

Onion (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.74 MX$50.4

79.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.53 MX$28.09

91.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.26 MX$23.16

123.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.08 $8.08

$4.84 MX$88.9

66.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.78 $14.78

$13.59 MX$249

8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.91 MX$35.01

52.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.06 MX$56.3

9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.80 MX$14.60

217.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.0 $78.0

$31.77 MX$583

145.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$1.62 MX$29.78

120.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.10 MX$20.17

42.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.91 $39.91

$10.97 MX$201

263.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 MX$27.93

-33.55%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

66.91%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-1.98%

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

$246 $246

$120 MX$2,198

105.45%

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

$68.7 $68.7

$27.08 MX$497

153.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.7 $75.7

$26.70 MX$490

183.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.38 $32.38

$31.15 MX$572

3.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.91 $19.91

$21.95 MX$403

-9.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 $13.79

$5.14 MX$94.4

168.29%

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

$1,422 $1,422

$688 MX$12.6K

106.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

107.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 $58.9

$71.9 MX$1,321

-18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.39 $39.39

$43.30 MX$795

-9.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 $86.6

$112 MX$2,059

-22.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$122 MX$2,236

-1.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 $1,522

$957 MX$17.6K

59.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$919 $919

$670 MX$12.3K

37.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,887 MX$34.7K

12.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,702 $1,702

$1,305 MX$24.0K

30.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,391 $1,391

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-66.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,857 $1,857

$2,437 MX$44.7K

-23.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,116 $4,116

$1,133 MX$20.8K

263.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.72

11.79

-43.00%

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

Last update for Saint Louis, MO: October 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint Louis, MO

$919 38.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 27% $248

Groceries & Markets

Saint Louis, MO

$498 20.7%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 37.3% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Louis, MO

$390 16.2%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 55.6% $217

Eating Out

Saint Louis, MO

$302 12.6%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 26% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Louis, MO

$137 5.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 14.4% $20

Getting Around

Saint Louis, MO

$100 4.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 57.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Louis, MO

$60 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 30.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,522 in Saint Louis, MO and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Louis, MO pays 263% 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: $78.0 in Saint Louis, MO vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $498 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Louis, MO

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

1 h behind Saint Louis, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

301,578

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Saint Louis, MO Monterrey 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Saint Louis, MO and Monterrey differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,440 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 263% higher in Saint Louis, 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: $1,522 in Saint Louis, MO versus $957 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 $50.0 versus $78.0 in Saint Louis, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,440 per month in Saint Louis, MO versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,440 in Saint Louis, MO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Saint Louis, 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 52% less than in Saint Louis, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.