Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Joplin, MO

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,032 in Joplin, MO, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Joplin, MO
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Joplin, MO Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Joplin, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Joplin, MO

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 Joplin, MO actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,032 in Joplin, MO.

Monterrey $1,608
Joplin, MO $2,032

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $2,801 in Joplin, MO.

Monterrey $2,521
Joplin, MO $2,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $3,571 in Joplin, MO.

Monterrey $3,433
Joplin, MO $3,571

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 21% less than in Joplin, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Joplin, MO 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$14.74 $14.74

-6.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$59.6 $59.6

-16.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$10.69 $10.69

3.37%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$4.59 $4.59

-10.89%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$1.96 $1.96

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.92 $1.92

-46.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$4.87 $4.87

-50.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.14 $6.14

-29.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.91 $0.91

110.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.79 $2.79

5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$2.16 $2.16

-12.96%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$3.30 $3.30

-22.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$8.99 $8.99

31.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$7.02 $7.02

33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$17.27 $17.27

-24.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$3.91 $3.91

-13.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.19 $1.19

27.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.49 $2.49

-12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$2.12 $2.12

11.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$1.23 $1.23

83.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.32 $2.32

17.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.90 $1.90

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.17 $2.17

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.64 $9.64

-50.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$15.13 $15.13

-9.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.78 $1.78

6.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$1.48 $1.48

102.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$2.06 $2.06

-58.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.44 $2.44

-31.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.59 $1.59

-28.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$40.74 $40.74

-72.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.78 $0.78

100.00%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$37.4K $37.4K

-42.74%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$24.4K $24.4K

2.89%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$278 $278

-57.10%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$42.98 $42.98

-39.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$69.2 $69.2

-61.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$14.72 $14.72

110.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$13.47 $13.47

-60.73%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$932 $932

-25.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$16.0K $16.0K

-28.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$40.69 $40.69

77.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$31.86 $31.86

34.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$99.4 $99.4

10.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$70.0 $70.0

66.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,265 $1,265

-23.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$911 $911

-27.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,694 $1,694

9.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,265 $1,265

1.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,441 $1,441

188.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,460 $1,460

60.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,370 $3,370

-65.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.49

81.66%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Joplin, MO: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Joplin, MO

$911 44.8% 37.2% $247

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Joplin, MO

$304 15% 2.1% $6.4

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Joplin, MO

$257 12.7% 14.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Joplin, MO

$390 19.2% 127% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Joplin, MO

$109 5.4% 29.1% $45

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Joplin, MO

$19 * 0.9% 55.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Joplin, MO

$42 2.1% 0.1% $0

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 $970 in Monterrey and $1,265 in Joplin, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Joplin, MO 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: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $60.0 in Joplin, MO. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $304, with Joplin, MO cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Joplin, MO

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

51,762

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Joplin, MO 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Joplin, MO

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 Joplin, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. The 26% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 194% lower in Joplin, MO. 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 $1,265 in Joplin, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Joplin, MO pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $2,032 in Joplin, MO – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,032 in Joplin, MO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Joplin, MO. 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 Joplin, MO, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Joplin, MO are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Joplin, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.