Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monticello, AR and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,407 in Monticello, AR, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Monticello, AR
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Monticello, AR Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,407

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monticello, AR and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monticello, AR and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,407 in Monticello, AR versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Monticello, AR $2,407
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,453 in Monticello, AR versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Monticello, AR $3,453
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,499 in Monticello, AR versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Monticello, AR $4,499
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Monticello, AR is roughly 56% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monticello, AR 78% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$11.02 MX$204

65.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$48.68 MX$900

53.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$10.90 MX$201

10.37%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$3.68 MX$68.1

49.46%

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

$2.35 $2.35

$1.63 MX$30.18

44.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.25 MX$23.07

63.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$3.25 MX$60.1

119.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$5.53 MX$102

46.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.70 MX$31.50

-47.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 $1.20

$3.02 MX$55.8

-60.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.92 MX$35.53

8.33%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.73 MX$50.5

35.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$11.77 MX$218

-24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$9.53 MX$176

-29.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$14.41 MX$266

-38.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.02 MX$55.8

11.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.89 MX$35.01

-31.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.99 MX$36.70

35.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.19 MX$40.38

-0.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.92 MX$35.43

69.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.87 MX$34.49

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.44 MX$26.62

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.27 MX$23.39

75.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 $9.47

$5.22 MX$96.4

81.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 $12.74

$16.17 MX$299

-21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.90 MX$35.03

-6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$4.22 MX$78.0

-62.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.34 MX$6.30

576.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.00 MX$36.90

-2.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.52 MX$9.67

167.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.32 $20.32

$5.34 MX$98.7

280.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.52 MX$28.13

-36.84%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

25.15%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

10.97%

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

$190 $190

$61.1 MX$1,129

210.92%

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

$40.07 $40.07

$28.58 MX$528

40.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.59 $45.59

$34.47 MX$637

32.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.43 $42.43

$56.4 MX$1,042

-24.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 $10.98

$6.66 MX$123

64.86%

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

$1,219 $1,219

$427 MX$7,891

185.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

112.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 $23.74

$67.8 MX$1,253

-64.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.03 $33.03

$52.0 MX$960

-36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 $69.0

$106 MX$1,959

-34.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$113 MX$2,080

33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,025 MX$18.9K

54.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 $1,345

$654 MX$12.1K

105.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,702 $2,702

$2,308 MX$42.7K

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,242 MX$22.9K

71.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 $2,660

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-26.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 $2,221

$1,936 MX$35.8K

14.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.3

-41.59%

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

Last update for Monticello, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 55.9%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 51.3% $690

Eating Out

Monticello, AR

$318 13.2%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 35.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monticello, AR

$276 11.5%

Mexico City

$124 8% 55% $151

Groceries & Markets

Monticello, AR

$263 10.9%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 20.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Monticello, AR

$124 5.2%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 22.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Monticello, AR

$64 2.7%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 8.2% $5.3

Getting Around

Monticello, AR

$18 * 0.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 41.7% $7.5

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 $1,584 in Monticello, AR and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Monticello, AR vs $49.00 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $318, with Monticello, AR cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

02:48 2:48 AM

1 h behind Monticello, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,414

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monticello, AR Mexico City 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monticello, AR
Mexico City

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

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

Monticello, AR and Mexico City differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,407 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,611 in Monticello, AR and $2,322 in Mexico City 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: $1,584 in Monticello, AR versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,219 in Monticello, AR versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $75.0 in Monticello, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,407 in Monticello, AR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Monticello, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Monticello, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.