Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wilmington, NC and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,870 in Wilmington, NC, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Wilmington, NC
Learn more

Wilmington, NC Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Wilmington, NC

🇺🇸 United States

$2,870

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,870 in Wilmington, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Wilmington, NC $2,870
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,089 in Wilmington, NC versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Wilmington, NC $4,089
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,308 in Wilmington, NC versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Wilmington, NC $5,308
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Wilmington, NC is roughly 75% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wilmington, NC 112% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.77 $14.77

$13.37 MX$250

10.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$47.95 MX$897

68.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 $10.98

$10.79 MX$202

1.76%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.77 MX$70.4

47.48%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.51 MX$28.26

74.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$1.03 MX$19.25

132.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.48 MX$46.41

103.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$4.36 MX$81.5

61.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.89 MX$35.43

-47.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.85 MX$53.3

40.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$1.86 MX$34.71

224.73%

Eggs

$5.07 $5.07

$2.47 MX$46.12

105.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$11.81 MX$221

-1.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.72 $14.72

$8.97 MX$168

64.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.74 $25.74

$12.57 MX$235

104.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.70 $6.70

$3.20 MX$59.8

109.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.50 MX$28.12

14.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.78 $6.78

$2.12 MX$39.74

219.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.33 MX$43.64

154.51%

Potato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.22 MX$41.58

89.64%

Onion (1kg)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.58 MX$48.34

137.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.45 MX$27.04

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.22 MX$22.85

163.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.61 $8.61

$4.80 MX$89.7

79.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.35 $14.35

$13.30 MX$249

7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.93 MX$36.14

3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.86 MX$53.4

104.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.80 MX$14.94

155.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.8 $78.8

$30.94 MX$579

154.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$1.83 MX$34.28

115.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.06 MX$19.78

73.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.75 $29.75

$10.82 MX$202

174.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.47 MX$27.54

-29.25%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

12.55%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

8.14%

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

$291 $291

$115 MX$2,144

154.32%

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

$55.2 $55.2

$26.37 MX$493

109.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$25.70 MX$481

176.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 $56.2

$30.53 MX$571

84.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.10 $4.10

$21.27 MX$398

-80.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.71 $14.71

$4.96 MX$92.8

196.57%

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

$1,304 $1,304

$679 MX$12.7K

92.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K $14.1K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

-0.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 $71.1

$72.2 MX$1,350

-1.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.04 $43.04

$41.94 MX$784

2.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 $98.3

$107 MX$2,011

-8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 $69.9

$119 MX$2,219

-41.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 $1,640

$1,018 MX$19.0K

61.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 $1,358

$722 MX$13.5K

88.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,830 $2,830

$1,966 MX$36.8K

43.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 $2,045

$1,416 MX$26.5K

44.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,246 $3,246

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-22.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,506 $2,506

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-9.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,915 $3,915

$1,096 MX$20.5K

257.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Wilmington, NC: 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

Wilmington, NC

$1.4K 47.3%

Monterrey

$722 44% 46.9% $637

Groceries & Markets

Wilmington, NC

$504 17.6%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 40% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wilmington, NC

$418 14.6%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 60.1% $251

Eating Out

Wilmington, NC

$277 9.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 22.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Wilmington, NC

$127 4.4%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.5% $26

Getting Around

Wilmington, NC

$100 3.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 58.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Wilmington, NC

$86 3%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 52.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in Wilmington, NC and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wilmington, NC pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Wilmington, NC vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $504 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wilmington, NC

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

15:24 3:24 PM

1 h behind Wilmington, NC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,826

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wilmington, NC Monterrey 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Wilmington, NC
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

Wilmington, NC vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,870 in Wilmington, NC and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Wilmington, NC is about 3.6 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: $1,640 in Wilmington, NC 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 $81 in Wilmington, NC. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,870 per month in Wilmington, NC versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 43% less than in Wilmington, NC. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.