Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stafford, VA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,556 in Stafford, VA, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Stafford, VA
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Stafford, VA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Stafford, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,556

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,556 in Stafford, VA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Stafford, VA $2,556
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,968 in Stafford, VA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Stafford, VA $3,968
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,379 in Stafford, VA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Stafford, VA $5,379
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Stafford, VA is roughly 56% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Stafford, VA 89% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.04 $16.04

$13.37 MX$250

19.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 $103

$47.95 MX$897

113.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.47 $12.47

$10.79 MX$202

15.57%

Cappuccino

$5.35 $5.35

$3.77 MX$70.4

41.91%

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

$3.19 $3.19

$1.51 MX$28.26

111.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.03 MX$19.25

150.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 $7.17

$2.48 MX$46.41

189.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 $10.02

$4.36 MX$81.5

129.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.89 MX$35.43

-29.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.85 MX$53.3

4.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.03 $7.03

$1.86 MX$34.71

277.96%

Eggs

$5.13 $5.13

$2.47 MX$46.12

107.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.17 $17.17

$11.81 MX$221

45.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.89 $10.89

$8.97 MX$168

21.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.47 $18.47

$12.57 MX$235

46.94%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 $7.42

$3.20 MX$59.8

131.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.50 MX$28.12

59.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$2.12 MX$39.74

135.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$2.33 MX$43.64

148.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.22 MX$41.58

25.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.58 MX$48.34

49.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.45 MX$27.04

77.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.22 MX$22.85

119.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.94 $13.94

$4.80 MX$89.7

190.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.93 $15.93

$13.30 MX$249

19.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.93 MX$36.14

65.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 $5.59

$2.86 MX$53.4

95.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 $4.02

$1.83 MX$34.28

119.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.06 MX$19.78

47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.49 $25.49

$10.82 MX$202

135.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.47 MX$27.54

-29.93%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

46.27%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

12.65%

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

$135 $135

$115 MX$2,144

17.79%

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

$79.8 $79.8

$26.37 MX$493

202.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.6 $77.6

$25.70 MX$481

201.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$18.25 $18.25

$4.96 MX$92.8

267.94%

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

$2,901 $2,901

$679 MX$12.7K

327.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$49.8K $49.8K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

251.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$72.2 MX$1,350

-2.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.59 $44.59

$41.94 MX$784

6.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$107 MX$2,011

-2.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 $125

$119 MX$2,219

5.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$1,018 MX$19.0K

76.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$722 MX$13.5K

77.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,646 $2,646

$1,966 MX$36.8K

34.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,365 $2,365

$1,416 MX$26.5K

67.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,229 $3,229

$2,782 MX$52.0K

16.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,458 $7,458

$1,096 MX$20.5K

580.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-49.11%

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

Last update for Stafford, VA: November 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stafford, VA

$1.3K 50.1%

Monterrey

$722 44% 43.6% $558

Groceries & Markets

Stafford, VA

$471 18.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 35.8% $169

Eating Out

Stafford, VA

$309 12.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 30.2% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stafford, VA

$292 11.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 43% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Stafford, VA

$156 6.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 1.6% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Stafford, VA

$36 * 1.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 10.9% $4

Getting Around

Stafford, VA

$12 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 249% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,791 in Stafford, VA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stafford, VA pays about 6.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $103 in Stafford, VA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $471 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Stafford, VA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

1 h behind Stafford, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,693

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Stafford, VA Monterrey 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Stafford, VA
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

Stafford, VA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,556 in Stafford, VA and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Stafford, VA is about 6.8 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: $1,791 in Stafford, VA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,901 in Stafford, VA 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 $103 in Stafford, VA. 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, Stafford, VA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.