Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubuque, IA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,731 in Dubuque, IA, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Dubuque, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,731 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $1,731
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $2,538 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $2,538
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $3,345 per month in Dubuque, IA vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Dubuque, IA $3,345
Monterrey $3,387

Dubuque, IA costs about 8% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Dubuque, IA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Dubuque, IA by 28%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 $13.85

$13.80 MX$255

0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.71 $49.71

$47.99 MX$887

3.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$10.65 MX$197

10.80%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$3.99 MX$73.7

25.06%

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

$2.02 $2.02

$1.66 MX$30.76

21.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.99 MX$18.21

-4.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.36 MX$43.64

27.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$4.43 MX$81.8

2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.82 MX$33.58

-57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.83 MX$52.4

-4.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.92 MX$35.44

46.87%

Eggs

$2.85 $2.85

$2.48 MX$45.78

14.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$11.74 MX$217

19.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$9.10 MX$168

14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$12.53 MX$232

-15.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$3.34 MX$61.6

-0.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.57 MX$29.10

-22.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.16 MX$39.86

50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.47 MX$45.65

-0.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.31 MX$42.64

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.68 MX$49.47

-37.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.46 MX$26.90

65.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.19 MX$22.07

50.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.70 $8.70

$4.75 MX$87.8

83.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 $13.36

$13.58 MX$251

-1.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.92 MX$35.52

-11.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.88 MX$53.2

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.55 MX$28.59

-41.29%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

1.55%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

2.93%

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

$176 $176

$117 MX$2,159

50.89%

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

$52.0 $52.0

$26.38 MX$488

97.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 $50.7

$26.04 MX$481

94.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.87 $36.87

$30.26 MX$559

21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 $8.17

$5.23 MX$96.6

56.21%

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

$812 $812

$673 MX$12.4K

20.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$72.1 MX$1,332

-22.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.65 $35.65

$42.38 MX$783

-15.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 $86.1

$112 MX$2,066

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 $88.7

$119 MX$2,200

-25.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 $985

$949 MX$17.5K

3.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 $725

$666 MX$12.3K

8.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 $1,201

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-5.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-57.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,707 $1,707

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-27.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,768 $3,768

$1,155 MX$21.3K

226.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

11.79

-55.47%

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

Last update for Dubuque, 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

Dubuque, IA

$725 41.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 8.1% $58

Groceries & Markets

Dubuque, IA

$312 18%

Monterrey

$304 19% 2.4% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubuque, IA

$279 16.1%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 39.3% $110

Eating Out

Dubuque, IA

$242 14%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 8.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Dubuque, IA

$120 6.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 29.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Dubuque, IA

$53 3.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 23.5% $13

Getting Around

Dubuque, IA

- * 0%

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Dubuque, IA versus $949 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 run about 226% higher in Dubuque, IA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Dubuque, IA versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dubuque, IA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

1 h behind Dubuque, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,667

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Dubuque, IA Monterrey 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubuque, 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

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

Dubuque, IA costs about 8% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,596 per month in Dubuque, IA and $2,399 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,731 in Dubuque, IA and $1,599 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $812 per month in Dubuque, IA and $673 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Dubuque, IA at $1,731. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubuque, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $1,731 in Dubuque, IA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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