Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and El Dorado, AR

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.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
84

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

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

El Dorado, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in El Dorado, AR

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 El Dorado, AR actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 8% less than in El Dorado, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$17.29 $17.29

-20.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$59.0 $59.0

-18.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$10.86 $10.86

-1.93%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.04 $5.04

-20.83%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$3.04 $3.04

-45.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.41 $2.41

-58.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$4.95 $4.95

-52.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$6.31 $6.31

-29.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.10 $1.10

65.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$2.70 $2.70

4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$2.80 $2.80

-31.43%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.36 $3.36

-26.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$10.17 $10.17

15.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$11.99 $11.99

-24.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$22.50 $22.50

-44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$4.31 $4.31

-22.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.45 $1.45

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$4.48 $4.48

-51.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$3.76 $3.76

-34.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$1.57 $1.57

47.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$2.51 $2.51

6.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.92 $1.92

-23.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.84 $1.84

-35.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.36 $9.36

-49.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$13.55 $13.55

0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.77 $1.77

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$1.69 $1.69

70.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.81 $1.81

-56.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$2.46 $2.46

-35.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.52 $1.52

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$24.11 $24.11

-55.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.92 $0.92

68.48%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$26.7K $26.7K

-9.61%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$26.3K $26.3K

-7.59%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$134 $134

-12.52%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$59.8 $59.8

-55.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$39.23 $39.23

-33.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$42.36 $42.36

-28.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$9.09 $9.09

-42.46%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,036 $1,036

-35.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$19.1K $19.1K

-41.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$50.9 $50.9

41.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$34.32 $34.32

23.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$79.1 $79.1

41.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$61.0 $61.0

95.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,537 $1,537

-38.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$678 $678

-1.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$1,892 $1,892

-3.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$941 $941

35.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,185 $1,185

241.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,146 $1,146

104.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$4,169 $4,169

-72.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.75

74.67%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

El Dorado, AR

$678 38.8% 1.7% $11

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

El Dorado, AR

$366 21% 20.3% $62

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

El Dorado, AR

$291 16.6% 31.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

El Dorado, AR

$233 13.3% 37.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

El Dorado, AR

$101 5.8% 34.8% $54

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

El Dorado, AR

$17 * 1% 58.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

El Dorado, AR

$61 3.5% 48.7% $20

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 $949 in Monterrey and $1,537 in El Dorado, AR. 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: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $59.0 in El Dorado, AR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $366 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 El Dorado, AR

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

17,756

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 El Dorado, AR 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
El Dorado, 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

Monterrey vs El Dorado, AR: 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.

On paper, salaries run 261% lower in El Dorado, AR. 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $1,537 in El Dorado, AR. 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 $1,599 per month in Monterrey versus $1,746 in El Dorado, AR – 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.