Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $3,609 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,609

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,609 per month in Arlington, VA vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,609
Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $5,570 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,570
Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $7,530 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,530
Monterrey $3,504

Arlington, VA costs about 120% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arlington, VA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 167%, Monterrey by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.11 $24.11

$13.37 MX$249

80.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.3 $98.3

$47.95 MX$892

104.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 $10.88

$10.79 MX$201

0.83%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$3.77 MX$70.0

55.70%

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

$3.01 $3.01

$1.51 MX$28.09

99.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.03 MX$19.14

142.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$2.48 MX$46.14

225.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.36 MX$81.0

109.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.89 MX$35.23

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$4.37 $4.37

$2.85 MX$53.0

53.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.86 MX$34.52

194.62%

Eggs

$5.20 $5.20

$2.47 MX$45.86

110.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.04 $22.04

$11.81 MX$220

86.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.87 $15.87

$8.97 MX$167

76.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.46 $22.46

$12.57 MX$234

78.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$3.20 MX$59.4

73.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.50 MX$27.96

25.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.12 MX$39.52

115.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.33 MX$43.39

150.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.22 MX$41.34

48.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.58 MX$48.07

48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.45 MX$26.88

56.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.22 MX$22.72

102.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.41 $9.41

$4.80 MX$89.2

96.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.33 $17.33

$13.30 MX$247

30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.93 MX$35.93

48.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.86 MX$53.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 $2.45

$0.80 MX$14.85

206.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 $133

$30.94 MX$575

328.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 $4.60

$1.83 MX$34.08

151.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.06 MX$19.66

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.54 $33.54

$10.82 MX$201

209.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.47 MX$27.39

-28.57%

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

$29.0K $29.0K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

20.48%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

9.66%

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

$161 $161

$115 MX$2,132

40.83%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$26.37 MX$490

98.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$25.70 MX$478

142.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 $70.1

$30.53 MX$568

129.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.11 $19.11

$21.27 MX$396

-10.16%

Cinema Ticket

$16.76 $16.76

$4.96 MX$92.2

237.90%

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

$1,867 $1,867

$679 MX$12.6K

175.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

65.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$72.2 MX$1,343

-22.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.4 $63.4

$41.94 MX$780

51.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$107 MX$1,999

-6.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 $160

$119 MX$2,207

34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,496 $2,496

$1,018 MX$18.9K

145.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 $2,017

$722 MX$13.4K

179.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,853 $4,853

$1,966 MX$36.6K

146.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,854 $3,854

$1,416 MX$26.3K

172.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,006 $6,006

$4,203 MX$78.2K

42.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,541 $4,541

$2,782 MX$51.7K

63.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,929 $6,929

$1,096 MX$20.4K

532.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.79

-41.82%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: 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

Arlington, VA

$2K 55.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 64.2% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$509 14.1%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 40.7% $207

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$377 10.4%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 42.7% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$276 7.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 39.6% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$171 4.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 10.3% $18

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$155 4.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 73.4% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$104 2.9%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 61% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,496 in Arlington, VA versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arlington, VA are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Arlington, VA versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $509 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

11:31 11:31 AM

1 h behind Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 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 = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, VA Monterrey 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Arlington, VA costs about 120% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,414 per month in Arlington, VA and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $2,496 in Arlington, VA.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Arlington, VA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $98 in Arlington, VA and $48 in Monterrey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Arlington, VA at $3,609. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.