Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,720 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

United States
Monterrey, Mexico
🇺🇸 United States
$2,720
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: The United States is 44.8% more expensive than Monterrey without rent, and 65.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: The United States is 43.9% more expensive than Monterrey without rent, and 48% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.75 $19.75
$13.37 MX$250
47.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.3 $79.3
$47.95 MX$897
65.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 $11.78
$10.79 MX$202
9.18%
Cappuccino
$5.62 $5.62
$3.77 MX$70.4
49.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.68 $2.68
$1.51 MX$28.26
77.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 $2.10
$1.03 MX$19.25
103.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.98 $5.98
$2.48 MX$46.41
141.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.89 $7.89
$4.36 MX$81.5
80.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.89 MX$35.43
-42.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.61 $3.61
$2.85 MX$53.3
26.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$1.86 MX$34.71
147.85%
Eggs
$4.34 $4.34
$2.47 MX$46.12
75.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.86 $12.86
$11.81 MX$221
8.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.50 $12.50
$8.97 MX$168
39.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.41 $17.41
$12.57 MX$235
38.50%
Apples (1kg)
$5.42 $5.42
$3.20 MX$59.8
69.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.50 MX$28.12
10.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.39 $4.39
$2.12 MX$39.74
107.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.96 $4.96
$2.33 MX$43.64
112.88%
Potato (1kg)
$2.85 $2.85
$2.22 MX$41.58
28.38%
Onion (1kg)
$3.06 $3.06
$2.58 MX$48.34
18.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.29 $2.29
$1.45 MX$27.04
57.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.30 $2.30
$1.22 MX$22.85
88.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.01 $11.01
$4.80 MX$89.7
129.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.94 $14.94
$13.30 MX$249
12.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 $2.13
$1.93 MX$36.14
10.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 $3.79
$2.86 MX$53.4
32.52%
🚌 Getting Around
United States
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.04 $2.04
$0.80 MX$14.94
155.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$59.1 $59.1
$30.94 MX$579
90.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.48 $3.48
$1.83 MX$34.28
90.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 $1.89
$1.06 MX$19.78
78.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$29.76 $29.76
$10.82 MX$202
175.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.47 MX$27.54
-26.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K $28.0K
$24.1K MX$450.4K
16.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$23.5K MX$440.2K
9.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$217 $217
$115 MX$2,144
89.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$62.7 $62.7
$26.37 MX$493
137.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.0 $73.0
$25.70 MX$481
184.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.08 $42.08
$30.53 MX$571
37.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.10 $23.10
$21.27 MX$398
8.60%
Cinema Ticket
$14.77 $14.77
$4.96 MX$92.8
197.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,490 $1,490
$679 MX$12.7K
119.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.7K $21.7K
$14.2K MX$265.3K
53.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 $53.5
$72.2 MX$1,350
-25.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.69 $42.69
$41.94 MX$784
1.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 $92.7
$107 MX$2,011
-13.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 $117
$119 MX$2,219
-1.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United States
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,671 $1,671
$1,018 MX$19.0K
64.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,338 $1,338
$722 MX$13.5K
85.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,723 $2,723
$1,966 MX$36.8K
38.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,131 $2,131
$1,416 MX$26.5K
50.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,269 $3,269
$4,203 MX$78.6K
-22.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,553 $2,553
$2,782 MX$52.0K
-8.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United States
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,253 $4,253
$1,096 MX$20.5K
288.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
11.79
-44.27%

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

Last update for the United States: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
United States
$1.3K
Monterrey
$722 46.1% $616
Groceries & Markets
United States
$415
Monterrey
$302 27.2% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
United States
$352
Monterrey
$167 52.7% $186
Eating Out
United States
$326
Monterrey
$216 33.7% $110
Clothing & Footwear
United States
$137
Monterrey
$153 11.4% $16
Getting Around
United States
$80
Monterrey
$41 48.5% $39
Sport & Entertainment
United States
$72
Monterrey
$40 43.5% $31
Good to know
🇺🇸 United States
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
13:05 1:05 PM
12:05 12:05 PM
1 h behind the United States
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,110,988
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • United States Monterrey 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • United States
  • 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

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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