Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waltham, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $4,237 in Waltham, MA, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

202

Cost of Living Index in Waltham, MA
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Waltham, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Waltham, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,237

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,237 in Waltham, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Waltham, MA $4,237
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,480 in Waltham, MA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Waltham, MA $6,480
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,722 in Waltham, MA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Waltham, MA $8,722
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Waltham, MA is roughly 158% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waltham, MA 213% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.50 $25.50

$13.37 MX$250

90.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.8 $93.8

$47.95 MX$897

95.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 $12.20

$10.79 MX$202

13.07%

Cappuccino

$5.32 $5.32

$3.77 MX$70.4

41.11%

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

$2.85 $2.85

$1.51 MX$28.26

88.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.03 MX$19.25

127.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.48 MX$46.41

106.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.79 $7.79

$4.36 MX$81.5

78.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.89 MX$35.43

-42.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.85 MX$53.3

35.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.86 MX$34.71

188.71%

Eggs

$4.90 $4.90

$2.47 MX$46.12

98.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$11.81 MX$221

-6.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.47 $14.47

$8.97 MX$168

61.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.56 $17.56

$12.57 MX$235

39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 $6.57

$3.20 MX$59.8

105.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.50 MX$28.12

14.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$2.12 MX$39.74

159.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.33 MX$43.64

142.06%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.22 MX$41.58

99.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.58 MX$48.34

54.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.45 MX$27.04

65.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.22 MX$22.85

-17.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.35 $13.35

$4.80 MX$89.7

178.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.86 $13.86

$13.30 MX$249

4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.93 MX$36.14

12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.86 MX$53.4

34.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 $59.3

$30.94 MX$579

91.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.83 MX$34.28

45.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.06 MX$19.78

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.24 $28.24

$10.82 MX$202

161.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.47 MX$27.54

-27.21%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

12.65%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.84%

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

$318 $318

$115 MX$2,144

177.66%

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

$56.5 $56.5

$26.37 MX$493

114.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$25.70 MX$481

226.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$248 $248

$30.53 MX$571

713.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

Cinema Ticket

$14.52 $14.52

$4.96 MX$92.8

192.74%

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

$1,813 $1,813

$679 MX$12.7K

167.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.7K $43.7K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

207.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$72.2 MX$1,350

-22.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.40 $38.40

$41.94 MX$784

-8.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 $80.1

$107 MX$2,011

-25.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 $98.7

$119 MX$2,219

-16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$1,018 MX$19.0K

146.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$722 MX$13.5K

247.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,382 $5,382

$1,966 MX$36.8K

173.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,015 $5,015

$1,416 MX$26.5K

254.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,371 $5,371

$1,096 MX$20.5K

390.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

11.79

-43.68%

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

Last update for Waltham, MA: 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

Waltham, MA

$2.5K 59.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 71.3% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waltham, MA

$459 10.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 63.7% $292

Groceries & Markets

Waltham, MA

$431 10.2%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 30% $129

Eating Out

Waltham, MA

$366 8.6%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 41.1% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Waltham, MA

$277 6.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 85.4% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Waltham, MA

$123 2.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 24.7% $30

Getting Around

Waltham, MA

$71 * 1.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 41.6% $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 $2,511 in Waltham, MA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waltham, MA pays about 4.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $94 in Waltham, MA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waltham, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Waltham, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,636

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 0.89 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Waltham, MA Monterrey 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Waltham, MA
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

Waltham, MA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,237 in Waltham, MA and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 61% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Waltham, MA is about 4.9 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: $2,511 in Waltham, MA 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 $94 in Waltham, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,237 per month in Waltham, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $4,237 in Waltham, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Waltham, MA. 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 61% less than in Waltham, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.