Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, KY and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,653 in Arlington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, KY
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Arlington, KY Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Arlington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,653

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,653 in Arlington, KY versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Arlington, KY $2,653
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,917 in Arlington, KY versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Arlington, KY $3,917
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,180 in Arlington, KY versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Arlington, KY $5,180
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Arlington, KY is roughly 66% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, KY 96% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.42 $18.42

$13.80 MX$255

33.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 $84.1

$47.99 MX$887

75.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$10.65 MX$197

11.55%

Cappuccino

$6.64 $6.64

$3.99 MX$73.7

66.42%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.66 MX$30.76

70.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 $2.39

$0.99 MX$18.21

141.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$2.36 MX$43.64

191.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.11 $8.11

$4.43 MX$81.8

83.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.82 MX$33.58

-57.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.83 MX$52.4

39.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$1.92 MX$35.44

110.94%

Eggs

$4.29 $4.29

$2.48 MX$45.78

72.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$11.74 MX$217

9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.53 $14.53

$9.10 MX$168

59.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.27 $18.27

$12.53 MX$232

45.81%

Apples (1kg)

$5.82 $5.82

$3.34 MX$61.6

74.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.57 MX$29.10

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.16 MX$39.86

94.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$2.47 MX$45.65

97.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.31 MX$42.64

-13.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.68 MX$49.47

-16.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.46 MX$26.90

63.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.19 MX$22.07

25.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.37 $9.37

$4.75 MX$87.8

97.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.88 $15.88

$13.58 MX$251

16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.92 MX$35.52

26.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 $4.67

$2.88 MX$53.2

62.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.79 MX$14.66

151.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.59 MX$29.44

207.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.06 MX$19.58

42.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 $20.90

$10.80 MX$200

93.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.55 MX$28.59

-32.26%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

54.52%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

10.68%

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

$230 $230

$117 MX$2,159

96.94%

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

$74.5 $74.5

$26.38 MX$488

182.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$26.04 MX$481

188.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.90 $40.90

$30.26 MX$559

35.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 $15.19

$5.23 MX$96.6

190.44%

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

$1,442 $1,442

$673 MX$12.4K

114.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K $30.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

177.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 $55.3

$72.1 MX$1,332

-23.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.53 $43.53

$42.38 MX$783

2.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 $92.3

$112 MX$2,066

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 $139

$119 MX$2,200

16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 $1,617

$949 MX$17.5K

70.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,282 $1,282

$666 MX$12.3K

92.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 $2,513

$1,821 MX$33.7K

37.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,271 MX$23.5K

69.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,807 $2,807

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-30.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,068 $2,068

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-11.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,051 $6,051

$1,155 MX$21.3K

423.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

11.79

-44.44%

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

Last update for Arlington, KY: October 20, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, KY

$1.3K 48.3%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 48% $616

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, KY

$417 15.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 27% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, KY

$380 14.3%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 55.4% $210

Eating Out

Arlington, KY

$334 12.6%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 33.7% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, KY

$149 5.6%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 4.6% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, KY

$71 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 42.9% $31

Getting Around

Arlington, KY

$20 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 103% $21

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 $1,617 in Arlington, KY and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, KY pays 424% 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: $84.0 in Arlington, KY vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $417 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, KY

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:14 7:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h behind Arlington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, KY Monterrey 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, KY
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

Arlington, KY vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, KY and Monterrey differ by about 66% in total monthly costs ($2,653 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 424% higher in Arlington, KY, 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: $1,617 in Arlington, KY versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Arlington, KY. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,653 per month in Arlington, KY versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,653 in Arlington, KY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Arlington, KY. 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Arlington, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.