Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Portland, ME and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,651 a month against $3,084 in South Portland, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in South Portland, ME
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South Portland, ME Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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South Portland, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$3,084

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,651

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,084 in South Portland, ME versus $1,651 in Monterrey.

South Portland, ME $3,084
Monterrey $1,651

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,609 in South Portland, ME versus $2,611 in Monterrey.

South Portland, ME $4,609
Monterrey $2,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,134 in South Portland, ME versus $3,571 in Monterrey.

South Portland, ME $6,134
Monterrey $3,571

Living in South Portland, ME is roughly 87% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: South Portland, ME 131% above, Monterrey 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.78 $24.78

$13.63 MX$252

81.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 $120

$48.11 MX$890

149.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.02 $15.02

$10.83 MX$200

38.69%

Cappuccino

$5.22 $5.22

$3.92 MX$72.5

33.16%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.48 MX$27.39

104.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.03 MX$18.97

141.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$2.46 MX$45.52

215.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 $8.10

$4.22 MX$78.1

91.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.87 MX$34.57

-42.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$2.80 MX$51.9

57.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$1.83 MX$33.84

275.96%

Eggs

$4.08 $4.08

$2.43 MX$44.98

67.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$11.73 MX$217

34.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.09 $10.09

$9.10 MX$168

10.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.19 $16.19

$12.49 MX$231

29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.29 MX$60.9

41.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.51 MX$27.85

12.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$2.13 MX$39.32

153.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.50 $7.50

$2.41 MX$44.59

211.20%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$2.32 MX$42.99

96.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.61 MX$48.21

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 $3.05

$1.43 MX$26.41

113.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 $2.61

$1.19 MX$21.99

119.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.38 $12.38

$4.79 MX$88.6

158.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$13.43 MX$249

13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.88 MX$34.87

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.96 MX$54.7

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.87 MX$16.03

139.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 $62.9

$30.74 MX$569

104.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.92 MX$35.45

38.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.05 MX$19.49

65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.83 $27.83

$10.85 MX$201

156.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.48 MX$27.33

-25.68%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.2K MX$447.5K

12.58%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.7K MX$438.3K

12.94%

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

$234 $234

$117 MX$2,169

99.60%

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

$68.6 $68.6

$25.62 MX$474

167.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.8 $78.8

$26.04 MX$482

202.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.09 $42.09

$40.88 MX$756

2.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$20.75 MX$384

-3.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.82 $14.82

$4.99 MX$92.4

196.99%

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

$394 $394

$694 MX$12.8K

-43.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K $27.7K

$14.1K MX$261.3K

95.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$70.9 MX$1,312

-25.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.89 $49.89

$40.78 MX$754

22.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$107 MX$1,982

-4.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 $134

$119 MX$2,198

12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,955 $1,955

$1,044 MX$19.3K

87.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 $1,566

$716 MX$13.2K

118.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,125 $3,125

$1,958 MX$36.2K

59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,621 $2,621

$1,454 MX$26.9K

80.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,826 $2,826

$4,379 MX$81.0K

-35.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,340 $2,340

$2,758 MX$51.0K

-15.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,212 $4,212

$1,142 MX$21.1K

268.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.79

-43.60%

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

Last update for South Portland, ME: November 9, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 7, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Portland, ME

$1.6K 50.8%

Monterrey

$716 43.4% 54.3% $850

Groceries & Markets

South Portland, ME

$447 14.5%

Monterrey

$302 18.3% 32.4% $145

Eating Out

South Portland, ME

$383 12.4%

Monterrey

$219 13.3% 42.8% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Portland, ME

$381 12.4%

Monterrey

$169 10.2% 55.7% $212

Clothing & Footwear

South Portland, ME

$152 4.9%

Monterrey

$152 9.2% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

South Portland, ME

$83 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 49.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

South Portland, ME

$72 2.3%

Monterrey

$51 3.1% 29.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,955 in South Portland, ME and $1,044 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

South Portland, ME pays about 3.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $120 in South Portland, ME vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $447 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 South Portland, ME

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

06:38 6:38 AM

1 h behind South Portland, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,498

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.5 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.76 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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South Portland, ME Monterrey 3,370 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

South Portland, ME
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

South Portland, ME vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,084 in South Portland, ME and $1,651 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in South Portland, ME is about 3.7 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: $1,955 in South Portland, ME versus $1,044 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 $120 in South Portland, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,084 per month in South Portland, ME versus $1,651 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 46% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,651 in Monterrey versus $3,084 in South Portland, ME, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in South Portland, ME. 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 46% less than in South Portland, ME. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.