Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salem, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,577 in Salem, MA, rent and utilities included – about $23,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

170

Cost of Living Index in Salem, MA
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Salem, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Salem, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,577

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,577 in Salem, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Salem, MA $3,577
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,992 in Salem, MA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Salem, MA $4,992
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,408 in Salem, MA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Salem, MA $6,408
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Salem, MA is roughly 118% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Salem, MA 165% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.99 $24.99

$13.37 MX$250

86.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$47.95 MX$897

111.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 $10.82

$10.79 MX$202

0.28%

Cappuccino

$5.14 $5.14

$3.77 MX$70.4

36.34%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.51 MX$28.26

66.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.03 MX$19.25

106.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$2.48 MX$46.41

229.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 $6.79

$4.36 MX$81.5

55.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.89 MX$35.43

-32.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.85 MX$53.3

23.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$1.86 MX$34.71

140.86%

Eggs

$4.36 $4.36

$2.47 MX$46.12

76.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$11.81 MX$221

6.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.82 $11.82

$8.97 MX$168

31.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.06 $17.06

$12.57 MX$235

35.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.20 MX$59.8

45.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.50 MX$28.12

11.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.12 MX$39.74

98.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.33 MX$43.64

98.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.22 MX$41.58

29.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.58 MX$48.34

15.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.45 MX$27.04

75.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.22 MX$22.85

82.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$4.80 MX$89.7

101.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.73 $14.73

$13.30 MX$249

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.93 MX$36.14

7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.86 MX$53.4

19.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 $1.92

$0.80 MX$14.94

140.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.6 $59.6

$30.94 MX$579

92.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.83 MX$34.28

66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.06 MX$19.78

61.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 $33.49

$10.82 MX$202

209.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.47 MX$27.54

-44.22%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

14.75%

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

$29.9K $29.9K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

27.15%

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

$201 $201

$115 MX$2,144

75.04%

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

$57.2 $57.2

$26.37 MX$493

116.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.7 $65.7

$25.70 MX$481

155.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.74 $41.74

$30.53 MX$571

36.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.47 $14.47

$4.96 MX$92.8

191.73%

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

$1,374 $1,374

$679 MX$12.7K

102.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K $21.6K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

51.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.6 $83.6

$72.2 MX$1,350

15.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.8 $57.8

$41.94 MX$784

37.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.9 $98.9

$107 MX$2,011

-7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 $98.7

$119 MX$2,219

-16.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,342 $2,342

$1,018 MX$19.0K

130.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 $2,181

$722 MX$13.5K

202.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,960 $3,960

$1,966 MX$36.8K

101.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,207 $3,207

$1,416 MX$26.5K

126.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,795 $2,795

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-33.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,325 $2,325

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-16.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,641 $9,641

$1,096 MX$20.5K

779.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

11.79

-44.11%

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

Last update for Salem, MA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salem, MA

$2.2K 61%

Monterrey

$722 44% 66.9% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Salem, MA

$403 11.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 24.9% $100

Eating Out

Salem, MA

$367 10.3%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 41.2% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salem, MA

$323 9%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 48.5% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Salem, MA

$153 4.3%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Salem, MA

$79 2.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 47.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Salem, MA

$71 2%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 42.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,342 in Salem, MA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Salem, MA pays about 8.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $102 in Salem, MA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salem, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

11:38 11:38 AM

1 h behind Salem, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,469

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Salem, MA Monterrey 3,270 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salem, MA
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

Salem, MA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,577 in Salem, MA and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Salem, MA is about 8.8 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: $2,342 in Salem, MA 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 $102 in Salem, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,577 per month in Salem, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,577 in Salem, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Salem, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Monterrey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Salem, MA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Salem, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.