Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between State College, PA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,414 in State College, PA, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in State College, PA
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State College, PA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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State College, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,414

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,414 in State College, PA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

State College, PA $2,414
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,382 in State College, PA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

State College, PA $3,382
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,350 in State College, PA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

State College, PA $4,350
Monterrey $3,504

Living in State College, PA is roughly 47% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: State College, PA 79% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.89 $14.89

$13.37 MX$249

11.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 $66.5

$47.95 MX$892

38.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 $9.35

$10.79 MX$201

-13.35%

Cappuccino

$3.41 $3.41

$3.77 MX$70.0

-9.55%

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

$2.43 $2.43

$1.51 MX$28.09

60.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.03 MX$19.14

64.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 $5.03

$2.48 MX$46.14

102.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$4.36 MX$81.0

69.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.89 MX$35.23

-37.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.85 MX$53.0

4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.86 MX$34.52

7.53%

Eggs

$4.02 $4.02

$2.47 MX$45.86

62.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.07 $8.07

$11.81 MX$220

-31.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$8.97 MX$167

3.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.96 $17.96

$12.57 MX$234

42.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.20 MX$59.4

10.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.50 MX$27.96

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.12 MX$39.52

104.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.33 MX$43.39

69.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.22 MX$41.34

-18.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.58 MX$48.07

-3.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.45 MX$26.88

51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.22 MX$22.72

24.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.62 $11.62

$4.80 MX$89.2

142.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.68 $14.68

$13.30 MX$247

10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.93 MX$35.93

-9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.86 MX$53.1

24.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 $2.56

$0.80 MX$14.85

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.4 $92.4

$30.94 MX$575

198.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.83 MX$34.08

115.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.06 MX$19.66

43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.81 $27.81

$10.82 MX$201

157.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.47 MX$27.39

-23.81%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

15.51%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

8.47%

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

$159 $159

$115 MX$2,132

39.11%

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

$40.59 $40.59

$26.37 MX$490

53.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.2 $61.2

$25.70 MX$478

138.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.99 $17.99

$30.53 MX$568

-41.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$16.21 $16.21

$4.96 MX$92.2

226.81%

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

$1,059 $1,059

$679 MX$12.6K

56.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K $13.2K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

-7.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.82 $45.82

$72.2 MX$1,343

-36.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.61 $39.61

$41.94 MX$780

-5.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 $79.7

$107 MX$1,999

-25.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 $130

$119 MX$2,207

9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 $1,497

$1,018 MX$18.9K

47.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$722 MX$13.4K

76.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 $2,743

$1,966 MX$36.6K

39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,416 MX$26.3K

28.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,532 $4,532

$4,203 MX$78.2K

7.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,057 $2,057

$2,782 MX$51.7K

-26.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,919 $3,919

$1,096 MX$20.4K

257.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

11.79

-45.21%

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

Last update for State College, PA: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

State College, PA

$1.3K 52.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 43.4% $554

Groceries & Markets

State College, PA

$336 13.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 10% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

State College, PA

$261 10.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 36.2% $95

Eating Out

State College, PA

$245 10.1%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 11.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

State College, PA

$133 5.5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 15.1% $20

Getting Around

State College, PA

$114 4.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 63.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

State College, PA

$50 2.1%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 19.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,497 in State College, PA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

State College, PA pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in State College, PA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $336 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 State College, PA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind State College, PA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,501

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

State College, PA Monterrey 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

State College, 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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,414 in State College, 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 State College, PA is about 3.6 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: $1,497 in State College, PA versus $1,018 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 $66 in State College, PA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,414 per month in State College, PA versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in State College, PA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.