Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monticello, AR and Monterrey

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.

114

Cost of Living Index in Monticello, AR
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Monticello, AR Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Monticello, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,407

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monticello, AR and in Monterrey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Monticello, AR is roughly 51% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 $18.26

$13.80 MX$255

32.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 $74.9

$47.99 MX$887

56.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.03 $12.03

$10.65 MX$197

12.96%

Cappuccino

$5.50 $5.50

$3.99 MX$73.7

37.84%

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

$2.35 $2.35

$1.66 MX$30.76

41.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.99 MX$18.21

106.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$2.36 MX$43.64

202.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.09 $8.09

$4.43 MX$81.8

82.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.82 MX$33.58

-50.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 $1.20

$2.83 MX$52.4

-57.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.92 MX$35.44

8.33%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.48 MX$45.78

49.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.88 $8.88

$11.74 MX$217

-24.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.69 $6.69

$9.10 MX$168

-26.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 $8.85

$12.53 MX$232

-29.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.34 MX$61.6

1.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 $1.29

$1.57 MX$29.10

-17.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.16 MX$39.86

24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.47 MX$45.65

-12.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.31 MX$42.64

41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.68 MX$49.47

-13.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.46 MX$26.90

26.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.19 MX$22.07

87.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.47 $9.47

$4.75 MX$87.8

99.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 $12.74

$13.58 MX$251

-6.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.88 MX$53.2

-44.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 $2.30

$0.79 MX$14.66

191.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.59 MX$29.44

23.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.06 MX$19.58

31.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.32 $20.32

$10.80 MX$200

88.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.55 MX$28.59

-38.06%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

14.37%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

11.84%

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

$190 $190

$117 MX$2,159

62.55%

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

$40.07 $40.07

$26.38 MX$488

51.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.59 $45.59

$26.04 MX$481

75.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.43 $42.43

$30.26 MX$559

40.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 $10.98

$5.23 MX$96.6

109.94%

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

$1,219 $1,219

$673 MX$12.4K

81.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

123.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.74 $23.74

$72.1 MX$1,332

-67.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.03 $33.03

$42.38 MX$783

-22.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 $69.0

$112 MX$2,066

-38.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 $150

$119 MX$2,200

26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$949 MX$17.5K

66.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 $1,345

$666 MX$12.3K

101.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,702 $2,702

$1,821 MX$33.7K

48.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,132 $2,132

$1,271 MX$23.5K

67.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 $2,660

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-34.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 $2,221

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-5.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

11.79

-44.02%

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

Last update for Monticello, AR: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monticello, AR

$1.3K 55.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 50.4% $678

Eating Out

Monticello, AR

$318 13.2%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 30.3% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monticello, AR

$276 11.5%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 38.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Monticello, AR

$263 10.9%

Monterrey

$304 19% 15.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Monticello, AR

$124 5.2%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 25.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Monticello, AR

$64 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 36.8% $24

Getting Around

Monticello, AR

$18 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 129% $23

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 $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇺🇸 Monticello, AR

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

1 h behind Monticello, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,414

1,142,994

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monticello, AR Monterrey 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Monticello, AR
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monticello, AR and Monterrey differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($2,407 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey 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 $2,399 in Monterrey 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 $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,219 in Monticello, AR versus $673 in Monterrey. 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.