Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waukesha, WI and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,062 in Waukesha, WI, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Waukesha, WI
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Waukesha, WI Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Waukesha, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,062

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,062 in Waukesha, WI versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Waukesha, WI $2,062
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,984 in Waukesha, WI versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Waukesha, WI $2,984
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,905 in Waukesha, WI versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Waukesha, WI $3,905
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Waukesha, WI is roughly 28% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waukesha, WI 54% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 $17.04

$13.75 MX$253

23.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.7 $74.7

$50.2 MX$924

48.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 $11.14

$11.13 MX$205

0.09%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.04 MX$74.5

24.75%

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

$2.74 $2.74

$1.70 MX$31.39

61.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.99 MX$18.22

97.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$2.41 MX$44.35

146.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.64 $7.64

$4.48 MX$82.6

70.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 $0.84

$1.92 MX$35.42

-56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.89 MX$53.2

12.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$1.94 MX$35.78

130.41%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$2.50 MX$46.05

41.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 $8.63

$12.30 MX$227

-29.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$9.33 MX$172

23.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.05 $17.05

$13.07 MX$241

30.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$3.38 MX$62.3

55.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.58 MX$29.12

3.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 $3.56

$2.20 MX$40.58

61.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.45 MX$45.04

108.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$2.26 MX$41.61

-23.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.74 MX$50.5

-4.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.53 MX$28.18

10.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.26 MX$23.23

53.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.32 $8.32

$4.84 MX$89.2

71.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.21 $11.21

$13.59 MX$250

-17.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.91 MX$35.12

-7.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.06 MX$56.5

14.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.80 MX$14.65

143.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.0 $51.0

$31.77 MX$585

60.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.62 MX$29.88

75.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.10 MX$20.24

44.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.35 $21.35

$10.97 MX$202

94.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 MX$28.03

-34.87%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$21.4K MX$393.7K

15.09%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$25.5K MX$469.1K

-1.03%

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

$200 $200

$120 MX$2,205

66.96%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$27.08 MX$499

91.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 $60.1

$26.70 MX$492

125.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.24 $49.24

$31.15 MX$574

58.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$14.35 $14.35

$5.14 MX$94.7

179.18%

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

$1,508 $1,508

$688 MX$12.7K

119.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.4K MX$210.5K

108.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$71.9 MX$1,325

-24.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.95 $40.95

$43.30 MX$798

-5.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 $88.1

$112 MX$2,065

-21.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 $74.1

$122 MX$2,244

-39.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$957 MX$17.6K

2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 $807

$670 MX$12.3K

20.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 $1,624

$1,887 MX$34.8K

-13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$1,305 MX$24.0K

-7.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,242 $2,242

$4,159 MX$76.6K

-46.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,261 $2,261

$2,437 MX$44.9K

-7.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,330 $4,330

$1,133 MX$20.9K

282.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.79

-44.61%

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

Last update for Waukesha, WI: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waukesha, WI

$807 39.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 16.9% $136

Groceries & Markets

Waukesha, WI

$362 17.8%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 13.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waukesha, WI

$312 15.3%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 44.4% $138

Eating Out

Waukesha, WI

$294 14.4%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 23.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Waukesha, WI

$116 5.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 35.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Waukesha, WI

$78 3.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 46.8% $37

Getting Around

Waukesha, WI

$70 3.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 39.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $985 in Waukesha, WI and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waukesha, WI pays 282% 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: $75.0 in Waukesha, WI vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waukesha, WI

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:12 2:12 PM

13:12 1:12 PM

1 h behind Waukesha, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,158

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Waukesha, WI Monterrey 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Waukesha, WI
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

Waukesha, WI vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waukesha, WI and Monterrey differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($2,062 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 282% higher in Waukesha, WI, 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: $985 in Waukesha, WI versus $957 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 $50.0 versus $75.0 in Waukesha, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,062 per month in Waukesha, WI versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,062 in Waukesha, WI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Waukesha, WI. 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.

Safety-wise, Waukesha, WI and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Waukesha, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.