Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between West Caldwell, NJ and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,560 in West Caldwell, NJ, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in West Caldwell, NJ
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West Caldwell, NJ Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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West Caldwell, NJ

🇺🇸 United States

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in West Caldwell, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

West Caldwell, NJ $2,560
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,072 in West Caldwell, NJ versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

West Caldwell, NJ $4,072
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,584 in West Caldwell, NJ versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

West Caldwell, NJ $5,584
Monterrey $3,504

Living in West Caldwell, NJ is roughly 56% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: West Caldwell, NJ 89% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.08 $23.08

$13.37 MX$251

72.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$47.95 MX$900

85.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.96 $12.96

$10.79 MX$203

20.11%

Cappuccino

$5.15 $5.15

$3.77 MX$70.7

36.60%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$1.51 MX$28.37

96.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.03 MX$19.33

128.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.48 MX$46.60

140.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.36 MX$81.8

87.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.89 MX$35.58

-24.34%

White Bread (500g)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.85 MX$53.5

54.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.36 $7.36

$1.86 MX$34.86

295.70%

Eggs

$5.21 $5.21

$2.47 MX$46.31

110.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 $11.84

$11.81 MX$222

0.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$8.97 MX$168

42.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 $18.27

$12.57 MX$236

45.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.20 MX$60.0

80.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.50 MX$28.23

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.12 MX$39.90

167.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$2.33 MX$43.82

143.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.22 MX$41.75

32.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.58 MX$48.54

27.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.45 MX$27.15

71.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 $2.51

$1.22 MX$22.94

105.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$4.80 MX$90.1

145.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.18 $15.18

$13.30 MX$250

14.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.93 MX$36.28

23.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.86 MX$53.6

53.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.80 MX$15.00

143.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.2 $54.2

$30.94 MX$581

75.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.83 MX$34.42

43.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.06 MX$19.86

70.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.12 $26.12

$10.82 MX$203

141.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.47 MX$27.65

-24.49%

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

$32.1K $32.1K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

33.32%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

12.38%

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

$230 $230

$115 MX$2,152

100.46%

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

$65.1 $65.1

$26.37 MX$495

146.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 $64.8

$25.70 MX$483

152.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.45 $38.45

$30.53 MX$573

25.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

$4.96 MX$93.1

198.19%

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

$2,092 $2,092

$679 MX$12.7K

208.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K $20.2K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

42.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.13 $49.13

$72.2 MX$1,356

-31.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.33 $44.33

$41.94 MX$788

5.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$107 MX$2,019

-3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$119 MX$2,228

16.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,574 $1,574

$1,018 MX$19.1K

54.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 $1,096

$722 MX$13.6K

51.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,966 MX$36.9K

19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$1,416 MX$26.6K

64.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,706 $2,706

$4,203 MX$78.9K

-35.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 $2,298

$2,782 MX$52.2K

-17.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,035 $3,035

$1,096 MX$20.6K

177.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.79

-42.15%

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

Last update for West Caldwell, NJ: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

West Caldwell, NJ

$1.1K 42.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 34.2% $375

Groceries & Markets

West Caldwell, NJ

$459 17.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 34.1% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

West Caldwell, NJ

$360 14.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 53.7% $193

Eating Out

West Caldwell, NJ

$353 13.8%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 38.8% $137

Clothing & Footwear

West Caldwell, NJ

$151 5.9%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 1.6% $2.4

Getting Around

West Caldwell, NJ

$74 2.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 44% $32

Sport & Entertainment

West Caldwell, NJ

$68 2.7%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 40.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,574 in West Caldwell, NJ and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

West Caldwell, NJ pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in West Caldwell, NJ vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $459 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 West Caldwell, NJ

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

1 h behind West Caldwell, NJ

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,797

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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West Caldwell, NJ Monterrey 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

West Caldwell, NJ
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

West Caldwell, NJ vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,560 in West Caldwell, NJ and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in West Caldwell, NJ is about 2.8 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: $1,574 in West Caldwell, NJ 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 $89 in West Caldwell, NJ. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,560 per month in West Caldwell, NJ versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 36% less than in West Caldwell, NJ. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.