Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington, IA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,769 in Burlington, IA, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Burlington, IA
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Burlington, IA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Burlington, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,769

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,769 in Burlington, IA versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Burlington, IA $1,769
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Burlington, IA versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Burlington, IA $2,675
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,580 in Burlington, IA versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Burlington, IA $3,580
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Burlington, IA is roughly 11% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Burlington, IA 31% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.35 $11.35

$13.80 MX$255

-17.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$47.99 MX$887

23.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 $8.84

$10.65 MX$197

-17.00%

Cappuccino

$4.74 $4.74

$3.99 MX$73.7

18.80%

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

$1.95 $1.95

$1.66 MX$30.76

17.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.99 MX$18.21

104.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.36 MX$43.64

44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 $4.58

$4.43 MX$81.8

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.82 MX$33.58

-55.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.83 MX$52.4

-0.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.92 MX$35.44

126.04%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.48 MX$45.78

17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 $11.37

$11.74 MX$217

-3.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 $11.93

$9.10 MX$168

31.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 $14.20

$12.53 MX$232

13.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.34 MX$61.6

20.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.57 MX$29.10

26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$2.16 MX$39.86

113.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$2.47 MX$45.65

88.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.31 MX$42.64

18.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$2.68 MX$49.47

-2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.46 MX$26.90

5.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.19 MX$22.07

73.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.75 MX$87.8

71.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 $16.29

$13.58 MX$251

19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.92 MX$35.52

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.88 MX$53.2

-21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.79 MX$14.66

145.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.76 $15.76

$31.36 MX$579

-49.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.67 $4.67

$1.59 MX$29.44

193.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.06 MX$19.58

-3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 $22.19

$10.80 MX$200

105.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.55 MX$28.59

-39.35%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-5.91%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

2.73%

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

$184 $184

$117 MX$2,159

57.61%

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

$47.16 $47.16

$26.38 MX$488

78.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 $59.2

$26.04 MX$481

127.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.42 $42.42

$30.26 MX$559

40.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$11.92 $11.92

$5.23 MX$96.6

127.92%

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

$1,210 $1,210

$673 MX$12.4K

79.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K $13.3K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

19.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.72 $44.72

$72.1 MX$1,332

-37.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 $30.53

$42.38 MX$783

-27.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$112 MX$2,066

-22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.90 $37.90

$119 MX$2,200

-68.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 $754

$949 MX$17.5K

-20.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 $707

$666 MX$12.3K

6.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 $1,172

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-35.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,280 $1,280

$1,271 MX$23.5K

0.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,026 $1,026

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-74.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,033 $1,033

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,446 $4,446

$1,155 MX$21.3K

284.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

11.79

-44.53%

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

Last update for Burlington, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington, IA

$707 40%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 5.7% $41

Groceries & Markets

Burlington, IA

$366 20.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 16.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington, IA

$290 16.4%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 41.7% $121

Eating Out

Burlington, IA

$216 12.2%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 2.4% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington, IA

$90 5.1%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 72.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington, IA

$66 3.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 38.6% $26

Getting Around

Burlington, IA

$33 1.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 24.4% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Burlington, IA and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burlington, IA pays 285% 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: $59.0 in Burlington, IA vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Burlington, IA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h behind Burlington, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,743

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

Burlington, IA Monterrey 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Burlington, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 285% higher in Burlington, 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: $754 in Burlington, IA versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,210 in Burlington, IA versus $673 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Burlington, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,769 in Burlington, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Burlington, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,599 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Burlington, 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 11% less than in Burlington, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.