Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Monticello, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,407 in Monticello, AR, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
114

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

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,407

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,407 in Monticello, AR.

Monterrey $1,599
Monticello, AR $2,407

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $3,453 in Monticello, AR.

Monterrey $2,493
Monticello, AR $3,453

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $4,499 in Monticello, AR.

Monterrey $3,387
Monticello, AR $4,499

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 34% less than in Monticello, AR, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Monticello, AR 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$18.26 $18.26

-24.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$74.9 $74.9

-35.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$12.03 $12.03

-11.47%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.50 $5.50

-27.45%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.35 $2.35

-29.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.04 $2.04

-51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$7.13 $7.13

-66.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$8.09 $8.09

-45.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.90 $0.90

102.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$1.20 $1.20

135.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$2.08 $2.08

-7.69%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.71 $3.71

-33.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$8.88 $8.88

32.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$6.69 $6.69

36.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$8.85 $8.85

41.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$3.38 $3.38

-1.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.29 $1.29

21.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$2.69 $2.69

-19.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$2.17 $2.17

13.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$3.26 $3.26

-29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$2.31 $2.31

16.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.84 $1.84

-20.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.23 $2.23

-46.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.47 $9.47

-49.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$12.74 $12.74

6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.78 $1.78

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$1.60 $1.60

80.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$2.30 $2.30

-65.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$1.96 $1.96

-18.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.39 $1.39

-23.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$20.32 $20.32

-46.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.96 $0.96

61.46%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$27.6K $27.6K

-12.57%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.59%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$190 $190

-38.48%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$40.07 $40.07

-34.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$45.59 $45.59

-42.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$42.43 $42.43

-28.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$10.98 $10.98

-52.37%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,219 $1,219

-44.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$24.8K $24.8K

-55.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$23.74 $23.74

203.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$33.03 $33.03

28.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$69.0 $69.0

62.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$150 $150

-20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,584 $1,584

-40.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,345 $1,345

-50.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,702 $2,702

-32.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,132 $2,132

-40.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,660 $2,660

52.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,221 $2,221

5.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.6

78.64%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monticello, AR: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 55.9% 102% $678

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Monticello, AR

$263 10.9% 13.6% $41

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Monticello, AR

$318 13.2% 43.4% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Monticello, AR

$276 11.5% 62.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Monticello, AR

$124 5.2% 20.1% $31

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Monticello, AR

$18 * 0.8% 56.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Monticello, AR

$64 2.7% 58.2% $24

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 $1,584 in Monticello, AR. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $75.0 in Monticello, AR. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $263, with Monticello, AR cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🕒 Local time

16:18 4:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

11,414

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Monticello, AR 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
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

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

Monterrey and Monticello, AR differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,407 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,399 in Monterrey and $3,611 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $1,584 in Monticello, AR. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $1,219 in Monticello, AR. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $75.0 in Monticello, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,407 in Monticello, AR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Monticello, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Monticello, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.