Cost of living comparison
Durham vs. Monterrey Cost of Living Summary
Durham is 41.4% more expensive than Monterrey.
- Restaurants
-
pay 15.6% more in Durham
- Groceries
-
pay 37.9% more in Durham
- Transportation
-
pay 10.6% less in Durham
- Housing
-
pay 82.5% more in Durham
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in Durham
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 81.3% more in Durham
- Clothing
-
pay 18.2% less in Durham
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and restaurants in Durham are more expensive than in Monterrey. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Durham. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Durham.
Durham vs. Monterrey Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Durham instead of Monterrey, you would:
pay 15.6% more for restaurants
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.91
MX$257.20
|
$15.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.13
MX$205.76
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.68
MX$30.99
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
MX$19.03
|
$2.11
|
|
pay 37.9% more for groceries
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.95
MX$54.63
|
$4.82
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.13
MX$113.44
|
$9.61
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.20
MX$133.19
|
$4.36
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
MX$47.39
|
$3.39
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.28
MX$79.19
|
$7.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.52
MX$28.05
|
$2.61
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
MX$13.19
|
$0.82
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.98
MX$18.19
|
$1.72
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.12
MX$20.72
|
$2.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.06
MX$19.52
|
$1.04
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.23
MX$22.77
|
$1.80
|
|
pay 10.6% less for transportation
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.91
MX$109.36
|
$3.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$32.04
MX$592.58
|
$25.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,528.95
MX$398K
|
$35,535.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.57
MX$195.47
|
$6.97
|
|
pay 82.5% more for housing
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$26.79
MX$495.42
|
$70.83
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$981.90
MX$18,158.20
|
$1,723.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$685.94
MX$12,685.02
|
$1,227.50
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$91.91
MX$1,699.66
|
$173.52
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$703.26
MX$13,005.38
|
$1,565.89
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,496.80
MX$213K
|
?? | |
pay 81.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.36
MX$43.72
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.04
MX$74.68
|
$4.75
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.90
MX$90.53
|
$8.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.22
MX$577.27
|
$47.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.29
MX$97.74
|
$13.00
|
|
pay 18.2% less for clothing
|
Monterrey
|
Durham
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$73.56
MX$1,360.29
|
$45.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.76
MX$790.75
|
$34.67
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.51
MX$2,080.57
|
$91.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$120.67
MX$2,231.48
|
$133.33
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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