Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Dorado, AR and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in El Dorado, AR
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El Dorado, AR Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,746

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,746 in El Dorado, AR versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

El Dorado, AR $1,746
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,547 in El Dorado, AR versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

El Dorado, AR $2,547
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,348 in El Dorado, AR versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

El Dorado, AR $3,348
Monterrey $3,387

Living in El Dorado, AR is roughly 9% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: El Dorado, AR 29% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.29 $17.29

$13.80 MX$255

25.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$47.99 MX$887

22.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 $10.86

$10.65 MX$197

1.97%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.99 MX$73.7

26.32%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.66 MX$30.76

83.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$0.99 MX$18.21

143.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.36 MX$43.64

109.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.31 $6.31

$4.43 MX$81.8

42.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.82 MX$33.58

-39.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.83 MX$52.4

-4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.92 MX$35.44

45.83%

Eggs

$3.36 $3.36

$2.48 MX$45.78

35.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$11.74 MX$217

-13.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 $11.99

$9.10 MX$168

31.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.50 $22.50

$12.53 MX$232

79.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 $4.31

$3.34 MX$61.6

29.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.57 MX$29.10

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.16 MX$39.86

107.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 $3.76

$2.47 MX$45.65

52.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.31 MX$42.64

-32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.68 MX$49.47

-6.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.46 MX$26.90

31.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.19 MX$22.07

54.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.36 $9.36

$4.75 MX$87.8

97.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 $13.55

$13.58 MX$251

-0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.88 MX$53.2

-41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.79 MX$14.66

129.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.59 MX$29.44

54.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.06 MX$19.58

43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.11 $24.11

$10.80 MX$200

123.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 MX$28.59

-40.65%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

10.63%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

8.21%

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

$134 $134

$117 MX$2,159

14.31%

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

$59.8 $59.8

$26.38 MX$488

126.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.23 $39.23

$26.04 MX$481

50.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 $42.36

$30.26 MX$559

39.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 $9.09

$5.23 MX$96.6

73.80%

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

$1,036 $1,036

$673 MX$12.4K

53.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K $19.1K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

72.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$72.1 MX$1,332

-29.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$42.38 MX$783

-19.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 $79.1

$112 MX$2,066

-29.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.0 $61.0

$119 MX$2,200

-48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 $1,537

$949 MX$17.5K

61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 $678

$666 MX$12.3K

1.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 $1,892

$1,821 MX$33.7K

3.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$941 $941

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-25.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,185 $1,185

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-70.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,146 $1,146

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-51.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 $4,169

$1,155 MX$21.3K

260.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

11.79

-42.75%

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

Last update for El Dorado, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Dorado, AR

$678 38.8%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 1.7% $11

Groceries & Markets

El Dorado, AR

$366 21%

Monterrey

$304 19% 16.9% $62

Eating Out

El Dorado, AR

$291 16.6%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 23.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Dorado, AR

$233 13.3%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 27.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

El Dorado, AR

$101 5.8%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 53.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

El Dorado, AR

$61 3.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 32.8% $20

Getting Around

El Dorado, AR

$17 * 1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 140% $24

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 $1,537 in El Dorado, AR and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

El Dorado, AR pays 261% 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 El Dorado, AR 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

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

09:25 9:25 AM

1 h behind El Dorado, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,756

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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Highest

Between locations

El Dorado, AR Monterrey 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

El Dorado, AR
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

El Dorado, AR vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 261% higher in El Dorado, AR, 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: $1,537 in El Dorado, AR versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,746 per month in El Dorado, AR versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,746 in El Dorado, AR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in El Dorado, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Monterrey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in El Dorado, AR, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in El Dorado, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.