Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 45% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$13.75 MX$252

42.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$50.2 MX$921

57.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.13 MX$204

6.02%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$4.04 MX$74.2

35.15%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.70 MX$31.29

74.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.99 MX$18.17

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$2.41 MX$44.21

109.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.48 MX$82.3

29.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.92 MX$35.31

-52.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.89 MX$53.1

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.94 MX$35.67

68.56%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.50 MX$45.90

58.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$12.30 MX$226

-21.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$9.33 MX$171

-7.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.07 MX$240

14.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.38 MX$62.1

55.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.58 MX$29.02

-3.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.20 MX$40.45

122.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.45 MX$44.89

49.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.26 MX$41.47

-1.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.74 MX$50.4

21.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.53 MX$28.09

22.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.26 MX$23.16

110.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.84 MX$88.9

81.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$13.59 MX$249

8.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.91 MX$35.01

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.06 MX$56.3

-19.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.62 MX$29.78

26.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.10 MX$20.17

15.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$10.97 MX$201

79.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 MX$27.93

-34.87%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

66.92%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-0.33%

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

$159 $159

$120 MX$2,198

33.12%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$27.08 MX$497

96.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$26.70 MX$490

140.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$31.15 MX$572

137.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$5.14 MX$94.4

190.86%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$688 MX$12.6K

60.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

4.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$71.9 MX$1,321

-32.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$43.30 MX$795

-19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$112 MX$2,059

-19.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$122 MX$2,236

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$957 MX$17.6K

15.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$670 MX$12.3K

70.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,887 MX$34.7K

4.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,305 MX$24.0K

22.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$1,133 MX$20.8K

366.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

11.79

-45.97%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 41.2% $471

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 11.5% $41

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 28.7% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 37.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 20.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 60.1% $62

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 400% $34

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 $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 367% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

04:20 4:20 AM

1 h behind Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Monterrey 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and Monterrey differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,326 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 367% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ankeny, IA and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.