Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Monticello, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,381 in Monticello, AR, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Monticello, AR
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Monticello, AR Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Monticello, AR

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Monticello, AR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,381 in Monticello, AR.

Mexico City $1,608
Monticello, AR $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,611 in Monticello, AR.

Mexico City $2,549
Monticello, AR $3,611

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,841 in Monticello, AR.

Mexico City $3,490
Monticello, AR $4,841

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 32% less than in Monticello, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Monticello, AR 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$18.32 $18.32

-42.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$76.2 $76.2

-36.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$12.03 $12.03

-13.97%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.8

$5.71 $5.71

-35.38%

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

$1.67 MX$31.07

$2.47 $2.47

-32.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.59

$2.06 $2.06

-38.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$6.99 $6.99

-54.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$7.82 $7.82

-32.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.15

$0.90 $0.90

91.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.7

$1.15 $1.15

164.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$2.00 $2.00

-3.00%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.84 $3.84

-24.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$8.81 $8.81

24.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$6.63 $6.63

39.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$8.72 $8.72

73.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$3.45 $3.45

-11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.19

$1.31 $1.31

48.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.75

$2.82 $2.82

-28.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.15

$2.10 $2.10

10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.94

$3.12 $3.12

-34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.55

$2.31 $2.31

-22.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.58

$1.93 $1.93

-23.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.63

$2.12 $2.12

-40.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.9

$9.28 $9.28

-42.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$13.11 $13.11

22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.97

$1.76 $1.76

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.3

$1.58 $1.58

168.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.69

$2.28 $2.28

-86.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$53.8 $53.8

-63.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.25

$1.95 $1.95

-5.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.38 $1.38

-61.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$20.10 $20.10

-73.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.16

$1.01 $1.01

49.50%

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

$21.8K MX$405.5K

$28.4K $28.4K

-23.33%

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

$24.0K MX$447.1K

$27.6K $27.6K

-13.10%

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

$63.0 MX$1,174

$189 $189

-66.73%

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

$27.39 MX$511

$39.87 $39.87

-31.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$665

$45.51 $45.51

-21.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,099

$39.23 $39.23

50.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$10.99 $10.99

-41.77%

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

$432 MX$8,045

$1,184 $1,184

-63.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.9K

$25.2K $25.2K

-54.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,272

$23.94 $23.94

184.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$32.95 $32.95

61.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,009

$69.0 $69.0

56.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,186

$153 $153

-23.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,560 $1,560

-28.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$1,266 $1,266

-43.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,548 $2,548

1.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$2,362 $2,362

-40.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

$2,594 $2,594

39.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$2,401 $2,401

-11.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.6

71.97%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Monticello, AR: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 53.2% 78.2% $555

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Monticello, AR

$262 11% 18.1% $58

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Monticello, AR

$320 13.4% 61% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Monticello, AR

$126 5.3% 19.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Monticello, AR

$275 11.5% 118% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Monticello, AR

$61 2.6% 14.7% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Monticello, AR

$72 3% 182% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,560 in Monticello, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $76 in Monticello, AR. Groceries flip the comparison at $320 vs $262, with Monticello, AR cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

11,414

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Mexico City Monticello, AR 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Mexico City
Monticello, AR

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

Mexico City vs Monticello, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,381 in Monticello, AR, so Mexico City is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,412 in Mexico City and $3,571 in Monticello, AR to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,560 in Monticello, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 63% less than in Monticello, AR. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $1,184 in Monticello, AR. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.