Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wausau, WI and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,741 in Wausau, WI, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Wausau, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$1,741

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,741 in Wausau, WI versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Wausau, WI $1,741
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,763 in Wausau, WI versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Wausau, WI $2,763
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,784 in Wausau, WI versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Wausau, WI $3,784
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Wausau, WI is roughly 8% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wausau, WI 29% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$13.85 MX$253

41.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$49.70 MX$909

53.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 $8.57

$11.05 MX$202

-22.44%

Cappuccino

$5.01 $5.01

$4.09 MX$74.8

22.49%

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

$2.75 $2.75

$1.68 MX$30.66

63.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.03 MX$18.79

97.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.35 $5.35

$2.40 MX$43.83

122.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 $5.62

$4.35 MX$79.5

29.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.92 MX$35.19

-59.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.94 MX$53.7

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$1.88 MX$34.31

183.51%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$2.55 MX$46.58

81.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 $8.70

$11.84 MX$217

-26.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 $6.42

$9.36 MX$171

-31.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 $13.70

$13.10 MX$240

4.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$3.38 MX$61.9

25.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.52 MX$27.85

-4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$2.19 MX$40.10

82.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.36 MX$43.19

80.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.26 MX$41.34

-20.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.73 MX$50.0

-6.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.52 MX$27.88

43.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.24 MX$22.67

-17.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.23 $8.23

$4.75 MX$87.0

73.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 $9.10

$13.66 MX$250

-33.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.89 MX$34.60

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.99 MX$54.6

-24.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$566

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.68 MX$30.66

69.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.13 MX$20.66

38.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.63 $20.63

$11.15 MX$204

85.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.56 MX$28.62

-44.23%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$21.4K MX$391.8K

70.34%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$25.1K MX$458.5K

0.82%

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

$160 $160

$119 MX$2,184

33.66%

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

$67.7 $67.7

$26.21 MX$479

158.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 $71.6

$26.78 MX$490

167.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.74 $29.74

$31.03 MX$568

-4.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$392

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$5.29 MX$96.8

16.64%

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

$1,808 $1,808

$691 MX$12.6K

161.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.5K MX$209.9K

107.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.88 $24.88

$72.3 MX$1,322

-65.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.07 $40.07

$42.72 MX$781

-6.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.2 $64.2

$110 MX$2,004

-41.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 $83.6

$117 MX$2,136

-28.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$942 $942

$970 MX$17.7K

-2.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 $688

$664 MX$12.1K

3.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$1,857 MX$34.0K

-16.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 $1,401

$1,287 MX$23.5K

8.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,695 $1,695

$4,162 MX$76.1K

-59.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,682 $1,682

$2,349 MX$43.0K

-28.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,567 $3,567

$1,146 MX$21.0K

211.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.79

-43.60%

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

Last update for Wausau, WI: October 13, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wausau, WI

$688 39.5%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 3.5% $24

Groceries & Markets

Wausau, WI

$306 17.6%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 1.5% $4.4

Eating Out

Wausau, WI

$300 17.2%

Monterrey

$225 14% 25.1% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wausau, WI

$299 17.2%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 42.3% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Wausau, WI

$96 5.5%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 60.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Wausau, WI

$42 2.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 1.1% $0.5

Getting Around

Wausau, WI

$11 * 0.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 290% $31

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 $942 in Wausau, WI and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wausau, WI pays 211% 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: $76.0 in Wausau, WI vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $310, with Wausau, WI cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wausau, WI

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

1 h behind Wausau, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,435

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.47 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.29 MXN (100 MXN = 5.47 USD). 1 EUR = 20.42 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wausau, WI Monterrey 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Wausau, 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

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

Wausau, WI and Monterrey differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($1,741 vs $1,608 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 211% higher in Wausau, 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: $942 in Wausau, WI versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,808 in Wausau, WI versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $76.0 in Wausau, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,741 in Wausau, WI, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Wausau, 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, Wausau, 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 8% less than in Wausau, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.