Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Worcester, MA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,803 in Worcester, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Worcester, MA
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Worcester, MA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Worcester, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,803

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,803 in Worcester, MA versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Worcester, MA $2,803
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,951 in Worcester, MA versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Worcester, MA $3,951
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,099 in Worcester, MA versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Worcester, MA $5,099
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Worcester, MA is roughly 71% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Worcester, MA 107% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.05 $22.05

$13.37 MX$250

64.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.8 $72.8

$47.95 MX$897

51.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.79 MX$202

10.75%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$3.77 MX$70.4

35.28%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.51 MX$28.26

56.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.03 MX$19.25

63.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.48 MX$46.41

145.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 $7.05

$4.36 MX$81.5

61.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.89 MX$35.43

-34.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.85 MX$53.3

29.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.86 MX$34.71

160.75%

Eggs

$3.81 $3.81

$2.47 MX$46.12

54.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.32 $19.32

$11.81 MX$221

63.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.87 $10.87

$8.97 MX$168

21.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.55 $20.55

$12.57 MX$235

63.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.20 MX$59.8

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.50 MX$28.12

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 $3.50

$2.12 MX$39.74

65.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.33 MX$43.64

109.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.22 MX$41.58

28.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.58 MX$48.34

27.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.45 MX$27.04

27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.22 MX$22.85

30.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 $13.33

$4.80 MX$89.7

177.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.86 $11.86

$13.30 MX$249

-10.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.93 MX$36.14

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.86 MX$53.4

16.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.83 MX$34.28

177.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.06 MX$19.78

126.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.38 $36.38

$10.82 MX$202

236.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.47 MX$27.54

-25.17%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

16.00%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

13.92%

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

$196 $196

$115 MX$2,144

70.84%

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

$55.7 $55.7

$26.37 MX$493

111.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.5 $61.5

$25.70 MX$481

139.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.74 $33.74

$30.53 MX$571

10.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.31 $30.31

$21.27 MX$398

42.50%

Cinema Ticket

$16.61 $16.61

$4.96 MX$92.8

234.88%

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

$1,726 $1,726

$679 MX$12.7K

154.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

65.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 $48.18

$72.2 MX$1,350

-33.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.61 $34.61

$41.94 MX$784

-17.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 $90.4

$107 MX$2,011

-15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 $146

$119 MX$2,219

22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,969 $1,969

$1,018 MX$19.0K

93.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 $1,524

$722 MX$13.5K

111.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,919 $2,919

$1,966 MX$36.8K

48.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,234 $2,234

$1,416 MX$26.5K

57.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 $3,081

$4,203 MX$78.6K

-26.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 $2,728

$2,782 MX$52.0K

-1.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,179 $4,179

$1,096 MX$20.5K

281.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

11.79

-46.31%

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

Last update for Worcester, MA: 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

Worcester, MA

$1.5K 54.4%

Monterrey

$722 44% 52.7% $802

Groceries & Markets

Worcester, MA

$404 14.4%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 25.2% $102

Eating Out

Worcester, MA

$334 11.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 35.4% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Worcester, MA

$313 11.2%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 46.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Worcester, MA

$143 5.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 6.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Worcester, MA

$67 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 39.6% $27

Getting Around

Worcester, MA

$17 * 0.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 141% $24

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 $1,969 in Worcester, MA and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Worcester, MA pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Worcester, MA vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Worcester, MA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

1 h behind Worcester, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

206,518

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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 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

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Between locations

Worcester, MA Monterrey 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Worcester, MA
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

Worcester, MA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,803 in Worcester, MA and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Worcester, MA is about 3.8 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: $1,969 in Worcester, MA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,726 in Worcester, MA versus $679 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 $48 versus $73 in Worcester, MA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Worcester, MA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.