Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scranton, PA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,430 in Scranton, PA, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Scranton, PA
Learn more

Scranton, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Scranton, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,430

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,430 in Scranton, PA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Scranton, PA $2,430
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,401 in Scranton, PA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Scranton, PA $3,401
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,372 in Scranton, PA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Scranton, PA $4,372
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Scranton, PA is roughly 48% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scranton, PA 80% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 $12.14

$13.37 MX$250

-9.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$47.95 MX$897

62.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 $6.15

$10.79 MX$202

-43.00%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.77 MX$70.4

19.89%

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

$1.51 $1.51

$1.51 MX$28.26

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.03 MX$19.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.48 MX$46.41

180.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$4.36 MX$81.5

77.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 $0.79

$1.89 MX$35.43

-58.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 $1.44

$2.85 MX$53.3

-49.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.86 MX$34.71

16.13%

Eggs

$3.38 $3.38

$2.47 MX$46.12

36.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 $10.95

$11.81 MX$221

-7.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$8.97 MX$168

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 $11.18

$12.57 MX$235

-11.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.20 MX$59.8

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.50 MX$28.12

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.12 MX$39.74

50.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.33 MX$43.64

91.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.22 MX$41.58

31.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.58 MX$48.34

24.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.45 MX$27.04

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.22 MX$22.85

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.92 $8.92

$4.80 MX$89.7

85.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$13.30 MX$249

-9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.93 MX$36.14

51.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 $4.63

$2.86 MX$53.4

61.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.80 MX$14.94

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$30.94 MX$579

93.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.83 MX$34.28

49.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.06 MX$19.78

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.80 $19.80

$10.82 MX$202

82.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.47 MX$27.54

-22.45%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

15.62%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

12.93%

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

$231 $231

$115 MX$2,144

101.80%

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

$40.10 $40.10

$26.37 MX$493

52.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.54 $49.54

$25.70 MX$481

92.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.17 $25.17

$30.53 MX$571

-17.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.46 $15.46

$21.27 MX$398

-27.32%

Cinema Ticket

$11.01 $11.01

$4.96 MX$92.8

121.98%

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

$775 $775

$679 MX$12.7K

14.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K $15.1K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

6.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.29 $45.29

$72.2 MX$1,350

-37.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.44 $29.44

$41.94 MX$784

-29.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 $72.2

$107 MX$2,011

-32.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 $83.1

$119 MX$2,219

-29.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$1,018 MX$19.0K

29.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$722 MX$13.5K

86.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,332 $2,332

$1,966 MX$36.8K

18.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 $1,974

$1,416 MX$26.5K

39.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,716 $1,716

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-59.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,391 $1,391

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-50.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,260 $3,260

$1,096 MX$20.5K

197.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.79

-44.44%

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

Last update for Scranton, PA: 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

Scranton, PA

$1.3K 55.5%

Monterrey

$722 44% 46.5% $627

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scranton, PA

$321 13.2%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 48.1% $154

Groceries & Markets

Scranton, PA

$299 12.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 1% $3

Eating Out

Scranton, PA

$230 9.5%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 6.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Scranton, PA

$104 4.3%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 47.9% $50

Getting Around

Scranton, PA

$80 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 48.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Scranton, PA

$47 1.9%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 14.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,313 in Scranton, PA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scranton, PA pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Scranton, PA vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $299 vs $302, with Scranton, PA cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Scranton, PA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h behind Scranton, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,861

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scranton, PA Monterrey 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Scranton, PA
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

Scranton, PA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,430 in Scranton, PA and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Scranton, PA is about 3 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: $1,313 in Scranton, PA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $775 in Scranton, PA versus $679 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 versus $78 in Scranton, PA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Scranton, PA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.