Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Washington, DC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,910 in Washington, DC, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

187

Cost of Living Index in Washington, DC
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Washington, DC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

$3,910

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,910 in Washington, DC versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Washington, DC $3,910
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,024 in Washington, DC versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Washington, DC $6,024
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,138 in Washington, DC versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Washington, DC $8,138
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Washington, DC is roughly 138% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Washington, DC 189% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.59 $23.59

$13.37 MX$250

76.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 $105

$47.95 MX$897

118.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 $12.44

$10.79 MX$202

15.29%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$3.77 MX$70.4

59.68%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$1.51 MX$28.26

115.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.03 MX$19.25

157.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.73 $8.73

$2.48 MX$46.41

252.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.13 $10.13

$4.36 MX$81.5

132.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 $1.35

$1.89 MX$35.43

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$4.08 $4.08

$2.85 MX$53.3

43.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.96 $6.96

$1.86 MX$34.71

274.19%

Eggs

$5.57 $5.57

$2.47 MX$46.12

125.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 $16.74

$11.81 MX$221

41.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.01 $17.01

$8.97 MX$168

89.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.89 $18.89

$12.57 MX$235

50.28%

Apples (1kg)

$7.45 $7.45

$3.20 MX$59.8

132.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.50 MX$28.12

62.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$2.12 MX$39.74

138.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.80 $5.80

$2.33 MX$43.64

148.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.22 MX$41.58

31.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.58 MX$48.34

44.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.45 MX$27.04

79.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.22 MX$22.85

120.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 $13.81

$4.80 MX$89.7

187.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.06 $16.06

$13.30 MX$249

20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.93 MX$36.14

65.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 $5.75

$2.86 MX$53.4

101.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 $3.17

$0.80 MX$14.94

296.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 $118

$30.94 MX$579

280.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.83 MX$34.28

112.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.06 MX$19.78

46.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.94 $24.94

$10.82 MX$202

130.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.47 MX$27.54

-21.09%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

43.46%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

10.49%

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

$210 $210

$115 MX$2,144

83.11%

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

$79.5 $79.5

$26.37 MX$493

201.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.7 $77.7

$25.70 MX$481

202.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 $100

$30.53 MX$571

228.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$73.2 $73.2

$21.27 MX$398

244.29%

Cinema Ticket

$17.90 $17.90

$4.96 MX$92.8

260.89%

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

$2,956 $2,956

$679 MX$12.7K

335.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$50.0K $50.0K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

252.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 $72.2

$72.2 MX$1,350

0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 $43.69

$41.94 MX$784

4.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$107 MX$2,011

-4.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$119 MX$2,219

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,721 $2,721

$1,018 MX$19.0K

167.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 $2,209

$722 MX$13.5K

206.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,995 $4,995

$1,966 MX$36.8K

154.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,231 $4,231

$1,416 MX$26.5K

198.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,895 $7,895

$4,203 MX$78.6K

87.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,695 $3,695

$2,782 MX$52.0K

32.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,306 $6,306

$1,096 MX$20.5K

475.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.79

-41.82%

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

Last update for Washington, DC: 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

Washington, DC

$2.2K 56.5%

Monterrey

$722 44% 67.3% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Washington, DC

$516 13.2%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 41.4% $214

Eating Out

Washington, DC

$386 9.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 44.1% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Washington, DC

$367 9.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 54.6% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Washington, DC

$154 3.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 0.5% $0.7

Getting Around

Washington, DC

$142 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 71% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Washington, DC

$136 3.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 70.3% $96

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,721 in Washington, DC and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Washington, DC pays about 5.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Washington, DC vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $516 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Washington, DC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h behind Washington, DC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228 Capital

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 →

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Washington, DC Monterrey 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Washington, DC
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

Washington, DC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,910 in Washington, DC and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 58% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Washington, DC is about 5.8 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: $2,721 in Washington, DC 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 $105 in Washington, DC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,910 per month in Washington, DC versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,641 in Monterrey versus $3,910 in Washington, DC, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Washington, DC. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Monterrey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Washington, DC, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Washington, DC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.