Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Fort Smith, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Fort Smith, AR
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Fort Smith, AR Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Fort Smith, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$1,978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR.

Monterrey $1,608
Fort Smith, AR $1,978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,030 in Fort Smith, AR.

Monterrey $2,521
Fort Smith, AR $3,030

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,081 in Fort Smith, AR.

Monterrey $3,433
Fort Smith, AR $4,081

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 19% less than in Fort Smith, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Fort Smith, AR 47% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$20.37 $20.37

-32.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$65.0 $65.0

-23.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$11.35 $11.35

-2.64%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.35 $5.35

-23.55%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.31 $2.31

-27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$2.06 $2.06

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$6.13 $6.13

-60.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$9.09 $9.09

-52.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.02 $1.02

88.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.44 $3.44

-14.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$3.67 $3.67

-48.77%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.97 $2.97

-14.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$7.37 $7.37

60.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$10.94 $10.94

-14.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$19.62 $19.62

-33.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.95 $4.95

-31.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.42 $1.42

7.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.56 $2.56

-14.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$2.10 $2.10

12.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.90 $1.90

18.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.58 $1.58

72.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.81 $1.81

-16.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.26 $2.26

-45.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.08 $8.08

-41.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.13 $14.13

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.84 $1.84

2.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$2.52 $2.52

18.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.28 $1.28

-33.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$35.56 $35.56

-12.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.73 $2.73

-38.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.28 $1.28

-11.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$30.11 $30.11

-62.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.79 $0.79

97.47%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

-16.11%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.8K $25.8K

-2.99%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$274 $274

-56.45%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$70.6 $70.6

-62.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$68.5 $68.5

-60.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$27.02 $27.02

14.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$15.73 $15.73

36.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$13.27 $13.27

-60.14%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$890 $890

-22.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$23.9K $23.9K

-51.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$52.9 $52.9

36.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$41.60 $41.60

2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$93.6 $93.6

16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$77.1 $77.1

51.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$681 $681

42.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$668 $668

-0.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,500 $1,500

23.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,328 $1,328

-3.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,547 $1,547

169.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,540 $1,540

52.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,041 $3,041

-62.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.38

84.80%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Fort Smith, AR: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Fort Smith, AR

$668 33.8% 0.6% $4.3

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Fort Smith, AR

$347 17.5% 11.6% $36

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Fort Smith, AR

$328 16.6% 45.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Fort Smith, AR

$413 20.9% 140% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Fort Smith, AR

$119 6% 22.3% $34

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Fort Smith, AR

$50 2.5% 19.5% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Fort Smith, AR

$54 2.7% 28.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $681 in Fort Smith, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Smith, AR pays 165% 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 $65.0 in Fort Smith, AR for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $347 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Fort Smith, AR

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

89,142

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Fort Smith, AR 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Fort Smith, 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 Fort Smith, AR: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Fort Smith, AR. 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 165% lower in Fort Smith, 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: $970 in Monterrey versus $681 in Fort Smith, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $1,978 in Fort Smith, AR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Fort Smith, AR. 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 23% less than in Fort Smith, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.