Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Starkville, MS and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,796 in Starkville, MS, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Starkville, MS
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Starkville, MS Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Starkville, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,796

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Starkville, MS versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Starkville, MS $1,796
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,733 in Starkville, MS versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Starkville, MS $2,733
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,669 in Starkville, MS versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Starkville, MS $3,669
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Starkville, MS is roughly 12% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Starkville, MS 33% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.85 $14.85

$13.80 MX$255

7.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 $59.8

$47.99 MX$887

24.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 $8.46

$10.65 MX$197

-20.56%

Cappuccino

$4.27 $4.27

$3.99 MX$73.7

7.02%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.66 MX$30.76

43.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.99 MX$18.21

86.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.36 MX$43.64

68.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.43 MX$81.8

56.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.82 MX$33.58

-51.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$2.83 MX$52.4

12.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.92 MX$35.44

39.58%

Eggs

$4.21 $4.21

$2.48 MX$45.78

69.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 $9.34

$11.74 MX$217

-20.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$9.10 MX$168

24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 $15.05

$12.53 MX$232

20.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.34 MX$61.6

14.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.57 MX$29.10

-11.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.16 MX$39.86

59.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.47 MX$45.65

19.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.31 MX$42.64

-5.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.68 MX$49.47

-18.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.46 MX$26.90

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.19 MX$22.07

61.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.41 $8.41

$4.75 MX$87.8

77.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$13.58 MX$251

-25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.92 MX$35.52

-15.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.88 MX$53.2

14.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.59 MX$29.44

177.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.06 MX$19.58

76.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.98 $32.98

$10.80 MX$200

205.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.55 MX$28.59

-43.87%

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

$30.4K $30.4K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

25.74%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

5.71%

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

$169 $169

$117 MX$2,159

44.91%

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

$30.57 $30.57

$26.38 MX$488

15.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 $52.3

$26.04 MX$481

100.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.28 $17.28

$30.26 MX$559

-42.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 $8.19

$5.23 MX$96.6

56.60%

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

$1,534 $1,534

$673 MX$12.4K

128.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,370 $8,370

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-24.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$72.1 MX$1,332

0.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 $52.2

$42.38 MX$783

23.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.9 $86.9

$112 MX$2,066

-22.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 $168

$119 MX$2,200

41.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 $942

$949 MX$17.5K

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$748 $748

$666 MX$12.3K

12.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-13.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 $1,349

$1,271 MX$23.5K

6.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,125 $2,125

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-47.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,183 $2,183

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-7.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 $4,273

$1,155 MX$21.3K

269.89%

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 Starkville, MS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Starkville, MS

$748 41.6%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 10.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Starkville, MS

$332 18.5%

Monterrey

$304 19% 8.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Starkville, MS

$252 14%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 32.9% $83

Eating Out

Starkville, MS

$246 13.7%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 10% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Starkville, MS

$171 9.5%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 9.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Starkville, MS

$34 1.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 20.9% $7.1

Getting Around

Starkville, MS

$14 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 201% $28

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 $942 in Starkville, MS and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Starkville, MS pays 270% 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: $60.0 in Starkville, MS vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Starkville, MS

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

09:17 9:17 AM

1 h behind Starkville, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,638

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Starkville, MS Monterrey 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Starkville, MS
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

Starkville, MS vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Starkville, MS and Monterrey differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,796 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 270% higher in Starkville, MS, 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: $942 in Starkville, MS versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,534 in Starkville, MS versus $673 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 $48.00 versus $60.0 in Starkville, MS. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,796 in Starkville, MS, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Starkville, MS. 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 12% less than in Starkville, MS. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.