Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort Madison, IA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Fort Madison, IA
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Fort Madison, IA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Fort Madison, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $2,559
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,754 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $3,754
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,950 per month in Fort Madison, IA vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Fort Madison, IA $4,950
Monterrey $3,387

Fort Madison, IA costs about 60% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fort Madison, IA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Fort Madison, IA by 89%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$13.80 MX$255

43.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 $76.2

$47.99 MX$887

58.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 $11.40

$10.65 MX$197

7.04%

Cappuccino

$5.49 $5.49

$3.99 MX$73.7

37.59%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.66 MX$30.76

58.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$0.99 MX$18.21

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.13 $6.13

$2.36 MX$43.64

159.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.37 $7.37

$4.43 MX$81.8

66.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.82 MX$33.58

-42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 $3.45

$2.83 MX$52.4

21.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$1.92 MX$35.44

123.96%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$2.48 MX$45.78

67.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$11.74 MX$217

7.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$9.10 MX$168

24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.07 $17.07

$12.53 MX$232

36.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.34 MX$61.6

46.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.57 MX$29.10

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$2.16 MX$39.86

95.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.47 MX$45.65

95.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$2.31 MX$42.64

22.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 $2.94

$2.68 MX$49.47

9.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.46 MX$26.90

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.19 MX$22.07

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$4.75 MX$87.8

112.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.04 $15.04

$13.58 MX$251

10.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.92 MX$35.52

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.88 MX$53.2

4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.79 MX$14.66

187.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.59 MX$29.44

109.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.06 MX$19.58

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.70 $31.70

$10.80 MX$200

193.52%

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)

$26.6K $26.6K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

9.92%

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

$23.8K $23.8K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-2.07%

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

$201 $201

$117 MX$2,159

72.45%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$26.38 MX$488

123.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.0 $71.0

$26.04 MX$481

172.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$30.26 MX$559

35.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 $14.14

$5.23 MX$96.6

170.36%

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

$1,439 $1,439

$673 MX$12.4K

113.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

113.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 $53.8

$72.1 MX$1,332

-25.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.89 $40.89

$42.38 MX$783

-3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 $88.0

$112 MX$2,066

-21.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$119 MX$2,200

-3.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$949 MX$17.5K

66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$666 MX$12.3K

93.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$1,821 MX$33.7K

39.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,271 MX$23.5K

68.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,414 $2,414

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-40.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,589 $2,589

$2,348 MX$43.4K

10.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Fort Madison, IA: 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

Fort Madison, IA

$1.3K 50.3%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 48.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Fort Madison, IA

$393 15.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 22.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort Madison, IA

$331 13%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 48.9% $162

Eating Out

Fort Madison, IA

$322 12.6%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 31.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Fort Madison, IA

$134 5.2%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 16.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Fort Madison, IA

$69 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 41.3% $29

Getting Around

Fort Madison, IA

$21 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 95.3% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,582 in Fort Madison, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Fort Madison, IA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:02 1:02 PM

12:02 12:02 PM

1 h behind Fort Madison, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,270

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Fort Madison, IA Monterrey 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort Madison, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA, $1,599 in Monterrey – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Fort Madison, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76.0 in Fort Madison, IA and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Fort Madison, IA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Fort Madison, IA at $2,559. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort Madison, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,599 in Monterrey to $2,559 in Fort Madison, IA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Fort Madison, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.