Cost of living comparison
compared to
Monterey vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Monterey is 0.7% more expensive than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 7.1% less in Monterey
- Groceries
-
pay 16.8% less in Monterey
- Transportation
-
pay 9.5% less in Monterey
- Housing
-
pay 15.3% more in Monterey
- Childcare
-
pay 52.9% less in Monterey
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.5% less in Monterey
- Clothing
-
pay 77.7% more in Monterey
The cost of clothing and housing in Monterey are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including childcare, groceries, transportation, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Monterey. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Monterey.
Monterey vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Monterey instead of United States, you would:
pay 7.1% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$16.46
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$9.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$3.11
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.65
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of restaurants
pay 16.8% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$3.45
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$4.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$5.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$3.91
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$8.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$1.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.53
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$1.14
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$1.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.89
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.00
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of groceries
pay 9.5% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$4.66
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$53.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$30,323.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$8.85
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of transportation
pay 15.3% more for housing
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$59.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$2,300.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$2,000.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$144.15
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of housing
pay 52.9% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$562.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$12,489.48
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of childcare
pay 1.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$4.77
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$12.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$43.25
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$12.50
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 77.7% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Monterey
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$68.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$120.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$97.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$200.00
|
|
United States vs. Monterey - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Monterey or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.