Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Ames, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,142 in Ames, IA.

Monterrey $1,608
Ames, IA $2,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,242 in Ames, IA.

Monterrey $2,521
Ames, IA $3,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,342 in Ames, IA.

Monterrey $3,433
Ames, IA $4,342

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 25% less than in Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Ames, IA 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$18.13 $18.13

-23.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$52.0 $52.0

-4.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$12.18 $12.18

-9.28%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$4.87 $4.87

-16.02%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.60 $2.60

-35.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$2.25 $2.25

-54.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$4.05 $4.05

-40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.81 $6.81

-36.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.89 $0.89

115.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.55 $3.55

-17.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$3.26 $3.26

-42.33%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$3.34 $3.34

-23.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$10.08 $10.08

17.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$13.62 $13.62

-31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$19.05 $19.05

-31.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$5.88 $5.88

-42.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.82 $1.82

-16.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$6.69 $6.69

-67.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$5.22 $5.22

-54.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$4.54 $4.54

-50.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$4.07 $4.07

-32.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$2.32 $2.32

-34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.44 $2.44

-49.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$13.03 $13.03

-63.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$16.11 $16.11

-15.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$2.87 $2.87

-34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$4.98 $4.98

-39.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.99 $0.99

-14.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$35.57 $35.57

-12.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$5.09 $5.09

-66.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.69 $1.69

-33.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$24.13 $24.13

-53.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.96 $0.96

62.50%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$24.7K $24.7K

-13.41%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.1K $25.1K

-0.03%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$176 $176

-32.28%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$54.3 $54.3

-51.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$71.2 $71.2

-62.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$69.0 $69.0

-55.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$19.74 $19.74

8.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$15.97 $15.97

-66.88%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,370 $1,370

-49.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$36.1K $36.1K

-68.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$58.4 $58.4

23.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$44.68 $44.68

-4.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$90.1 $90.1

21.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$105 $105

11.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,005 $1,005

-3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$822 $822

-19.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,860 $1,860

-0.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,505 $1,505

-14.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,432 $2,432

71.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,185 $2,185

7.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,597 $3,597

-68.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.41

83.93%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Ames, IA

$822 38.4% 23.9% $158

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Ames, IA

$436 20.4% 40.6% $126

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Ames, IA

$293 13.7% 30.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Ames, IA

$302 14.1% 75.1% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Ames, IA

$134 6.3% 12.7% $20

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Ames, IA

$53 2.5% 27.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Ames, IA

$101 4.7% 143% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $1,005 in Ames, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 214% 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: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $52.0 in Ames, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $436 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

09:08 9:08 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

66,427

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Ames, IA 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Ames, IA

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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 214% lower in Ames, IA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $1,005 in Ames, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 15% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $1,370 in Ames, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.