Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
Learn more

Seattle, WA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,744 in Seattle, WA versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,703 in Seattle, WA versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,661 in Seattle, WA versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 133% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 179% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$13.75 MX$252

78.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$50.2 MX$921

98.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$11.13 MX$204

37.47%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$4.04 MX$74.2

63.86%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.70 MX$31.29

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$0.99 MX$18.17

214.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.41 MX$44.21

222.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$4.48 MX$82.3

77.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.92 MX$35.31

-36.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.89 MX$53.1

70.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$1.94 MX$35.67

218.04%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$2.50 MX$45.90

98.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$12.30 MX$226

54.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$9.33 MX$171

100.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$13.07 MX$240

77.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.38 MX$62.1

75.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.58 MX$29.02

22.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$2.20 MX$40.45

135.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.45 MX$44.89

167.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$2.26 MX$41.47

60.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.74 MX$50.4

15.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.53 MX$28.09

90.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.26 MX$23.16

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$4.84 MX$88.9

155.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$13.59 MX$249

10.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.91 MX$35.01

125.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$3.06 MX$56.3

85.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$0.80 MX$14.60

281.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$31.77 MX$583

241.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.62 MX$29.78

62.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.10 MX$20.17

58.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$10.97 MX$201

173.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 MX$27.93

-3.95%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

71.91%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

0.83%

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

$299 $299

$120 MX$2,198

150.10%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$27.08 MX$497

157.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$26.70 MX$490

237.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$31.15 MX$572

156.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$21.95 MX$403

62.28%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$5.14 MX$94.4

237.16%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$688 MX$12.6K

334.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

173.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$71.9 MX$1,321

8.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$43.30 MX$795

26.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$112 MX$2,059

12.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$122 MX$2,236

35.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$957 MX$17.6K

151.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$670 MX$12.3K

192.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$1,887 MX$34.7K

153.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,305 MX$24.0K

172.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$4,159 MX$76.4K

78.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$2,437 MX$44.7K

105.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$1,133 MX$20.8K

454.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

11.79

-41.90%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 65.9% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 42.2% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 62.2% $286

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 44.3% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 17.6% $34

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 68.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 63.9% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,407 in Seattle, WA and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seattle, WA pays 454% 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: $99.0 in Seattle, WA vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $541 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

1 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seattle, WA Monterrey 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
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

Seattle, WA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Monterrey differ by about 133% in total monthly costs ($3,744 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 454% higher in Seattle, WA, 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: $2,407 in Seattle, WA 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 $99.0 in Seattle, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,744 per month in Seattle, WA versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $3,744 in Seattle, WA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Seattle, WA. 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 133% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.