Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Sheldon, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,555 in Sheldon, IA, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Sheldon, IA
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Sheldon, IA Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Sheldon, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,555

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,555 in Sheldon, IA.

Monterrey $1,607
Sheldon, IA $2,555

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,737 in Sheldon, IA.

Monterrey $2,512
Sheldon, IA $3,737

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $4,918 in Sheldon, IA.

Monterrey $3,417
Sheldon, IA $4,918

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 37% less than in Sheldon, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Sheldon, IA 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$253

$20.28 $20.28

-32.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$924

$80.7 $80.7

-37.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$205

$10.03 $10.03

10.97%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.5

$5.86 $5.86

-31.06%

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

$1.70 MX$31.39

$3.14 $3.14

-45.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.22

$2.33 $2.33

-57.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.35

$6.99 $6.99

-65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.6

$8.13 $8.13

-44.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.42

$0.85 $0.85

125.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.2

$3.55 $3.55

-18.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.78

$6.45 $6.45

-69.92%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.05

$2.04 $2.04

22.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$227

$10.32 $10.32

19.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$12.99 $12.99

-28.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$241

$8.61 $8.61

51.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.3

$5.76 $5.76

-41.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.12

$1.30 $1.30

21.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.58

$5.36 $5.36

-58.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$45.04

$5.25 $5.25

-53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.61

$4.45 $4.45

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.5

$4.29 $4.29

-36.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.18

$2.04 $2.04

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$2.60 $2.60

-51.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$89.2

$12.76 $12.76

-62.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$250

$16.05 $16.05

-15.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.12

$2.84 $2.84

-32.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.5

$5.81 $5.81

-47.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.65

$1.98 $1.98

-59.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$585

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.88

$5.09 $5.09

-68.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.24

$1.75 $1.75

-37.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$202

$23.62 $23.62

-53.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.03

$1.07 $1.07

42.06%

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

$21.4K MX$393.7K

$36.1K $36.1K

-40.80%

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

$25.5K MX$469.1K

$25.7K $25.7K

-0.75%

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

$120 MX$2,205

$175 $175

-31.64%

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

$27.08 MX$499

$54.9 $54.9

-50.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$492

$70.8 $70.8

-62.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$574

$44.57 $44.57

-30.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.7

$16.10 $16.10

-68.07%

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

$688 MX$12.7K

$1,390 $1,390

-50.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$210.5K

$36.7K $36.7K

-68.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,325

$57.3 $57.3

25.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$798

$43.47 $43.47

-0.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,065

$97.6 $97.6

14.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,244

$104 $104

16.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,718 $1,718

-44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$1,454 $1,454

-53.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.8K

$2,614 $2,614

-27.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$2,204 $2,204

-40.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.6K

$3,016 $3,016

37.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.9K

$2,665 $2,665

-8.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.66

77.03%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sheldon, IA: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Sheldon, IA

$1.5K 53.3% 117% $784

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Sheldon, IA

$403 14.8% 29% $91

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Sheldon, IA

$336 12.3% 50.1% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Sheldon, IA

$301 11% 73.4% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Sheldon, IA

$136 5% 13.4% $21

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Sheldon, IA

$22 * 0.8% 48.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Sheldon, IA

$77 2.8% 85.3% $35

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 $957 in Monterrey and $1,718 in Sheldon, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $81.0 in Sheldon, IA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $403 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Sheldon, IA

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

5,200

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Sheldon, IA 1,990 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Sheldon, 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 Sheldon, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Sheldon, IA differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $2,555 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,411 in Monterrey and $3,833 in Sheldon, IA 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $1,718 in Sheldon, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Monterrey versus $1,390 in Sheldon, IA. 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 $50.0 versus $81.0 in Sheldon, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,555 in Sheldon, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Sheldon, IA. 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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Sheldon, IA 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 59% less than in Sheldon, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.