Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jonesboro, AR and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,154 in Jonesboro, AR, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Jonesboro, AR
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Jonesboro, AR Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Jonesboro, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,154

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,154 in Jonesboro, AR versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Jonesboro, AR $2,154
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,995 in Jonesboro, AR versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Jonesboro, AR $2,995
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,836 in Jonesboro, AR versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Jonesboro, AR $3,836
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Jonesboro, AR is roughly 34% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jonesboro, AR 61% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.74 $27.74

$13.75 MX$253

101.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 $59.9

$50.2 MX$923

19.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 $10.48

$11.13 MX$205

-5.84%

Cappuccino

$4.98 $4.98

$4.04 MX$74.3

23.27%

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

$2.29 $2.29

$1.70 MX$31.33

34.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.99 MX$18.19

82.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.42 $4.42

$2.41 MX$44.27

83.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.66 $6.66

$4.48 MX$82.5

48.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.92 MX$35.36

-43.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.89 MX$53.2

17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.94 MX$35.72

11.86%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.50 MX$45.97

48.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 $8.69

$12.30 MX$226

-29.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 $8.73

$9.33 MX$172

-6.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 $11.27

$13.07 MX$240

-13.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.38 MX$62.2

29.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.58 MX$29.07

-27.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.20 MX$40.51

36.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.45 MX$44.96

55.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.26 MX$41.54

-27.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.74 MX$50.4

-10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.53 MX$28.13

15.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.26 MX$23.19

57.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.09 $8.09

$4.84 MX$89.0

67.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.38 $13.38

$13.59 MX$250

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.91 MX$35.06

-5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.06 MX$56.4

26.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 $1.11

$0.80 MX$14.62

38.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.35 $30.35

$31.77 MX$584

-4.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.62 MX$29.82

87.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.10 MX$20.20

26.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.60 $27.60

$10.97 MX$202

151.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.52 MX$27.98

-43.42%

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

$32.2K $32.2K

$21.4K MX$393.0K

50.74%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$25.5K MX$468.3K

4.08%

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

$226 $226

$120 MX$2,201

88.70%

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

$46.16 $46.16

$27.08 MX$498

70.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$26.70 MX$491

175.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.95 $39.95

$31.15 MX$573

28.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.76 $10.76

$21.95 MX$404

-50.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 $11.86

$5.14 MX$94.5

130.74%

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

$758 $758

$688 MX$12.6K

10.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,352 $8,352

$11.4K MX$210.1K

-26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 $62.3

$71.9 MX$1,323

-13.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.27 $37.27

$43.30 MX$796

-13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 $77.3

$112 MX$2,062

-31.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 $106

$122 MX$2,240

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 $1,131

$957 MX$17.6K

18.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$856 $856

$670 MX$12.3K

27.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 $1,387

$1,887 MX$34.7K

-26.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 $1,169

$1,305 MX$24.0K

-10.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,558 $1,558

$4,159 MX$76.5K

-62.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,547 $1,547

$2,437 MX$44.8K

-36.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,335 $3,335

$1,133 MX$20.8K

194.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

11.79

-46.06%

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

Last update for Jonesboro, AR: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jonesboro, AR

$856 40.4%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 21.7% $185

Eating Out

Jonesboro, AR

$365 17.2%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 38.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jonesboro, AR

$346 16.3%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 49.8% $172

Groceries & Markets

Jonesboro, AR

$316 14.9%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 1.1% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Jonesboro, AR

$127 6%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 23.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Jonesboro, AR

$64 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 34.9% $22

Getting Around

Jonesboro, AR

$45 2.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 6.1% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,131 in Jonesboro, AR and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jonesboro, AR pays 194% 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: $60.0 in Jonesboro, AR vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Jonesboro, AR

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

1 h behind Jonesboro, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,576

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Jonesboro, AR Monterrey 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jonesboro, 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

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

Monterrey is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 194% higher in Jonesboro, 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: $1,131 in Jonesboro, AR versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,154 per month in Jonesboro, AR versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 5% less than in Jonesboro, AR. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,154 in Jonesboro, AR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Jonesboro, 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 Jonesboro, 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 34% less than in Jonesboro, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.