Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Little Rock, AR and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,560 in North Little Rock, AR, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in North Little Rock, AR
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North Little Rock, AR Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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North Little Rock, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,560

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,560 in North Little Rock, AR versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

North Little Rock, AR $2,560
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,762 in North Little Rock, AR versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

North Little Rock, AR $3,762
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,964 in North Little Rock, AR versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

North Little Rock, AR $4,964
Monterrey $3,433

Living in North Little Rock, AR is roughly 59% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: North Little Rock, AR 90% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.13 $19.13

$13.85 MX$253

38.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$49.70 MX$909

50.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$11.05 MX$202

1.09%

Cappuccino

$5.10 $5.10

$4.09 MX$74.8

24.69%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.68 MX$30.66

54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.03 MX$18.79

99.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.40 MX$43.83

156.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.02 $7.02

$4.35 MX$79.5

61.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.92 MX$35.19

-47.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.94 MX$53.7

16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$1.88 MX$34.31

134.57%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.55 MX$46.58

60.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 $12.50

$11.84 MX$217

5.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.62 $11.62

$9.36 MX$171

24.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.58 $15.58

$13.10 MX$240

18.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$3.38 MX$61.9

42.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.52 MX$27.85

4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$2.19 MX$40.10

97.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$2.36 MX$43.19

95.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.26 MX$41.34

28.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.73 MX$50.0

2.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.52 MX$27.88

38.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.24 MX$22.67

76.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.69 $9.69

$4.75 MX$87.0

104.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 $14.22

$13.66 MX$250

4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.89 MX$34.60

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.99 MX$54.6

10.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.85 MX$15.62

141.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$566

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 $3.47

$1.68 MX$30.66

106.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.13 MX$20.66

46.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.36 $29.36

$11.15 MX$204

163.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.56 MX$28.62

-42.95%

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

$29.1K $29.1K

$21.4K MX$391.8K

35.76%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.1K MX$458.5K

1.94%

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

$188 $188

$119 MX$2,184

57.09%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$26.21 MX$479

99.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.0 $68.0

$26.78 MX$490

153.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.86 $43.86

$31.03 MX$568

41.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$392

Cinema Ticket

$13.29 $13.29

$5.29 MX$96.8

151.23%

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

$1,315 $1,315

$691 MX$12.6K

90.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$11.5K MX$209.9K

101.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 $50.3

$72.3 MX$1,322

-30.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.56 $40.56

$42.72 MX$781

-5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$110 MX$2,004

-20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$117 MX$2,136

-2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 $1,618

$970 MX$17.7K

66.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$664 MX$12.1K

100.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 $2,603

$1,857 MX$34.0K

40.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,238 $2,238

$1,287 MX$23.5K

73.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,791 $2,791

$4,162 MX$76.1K

-32.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,474 $2,474

$2,349 MX$43.0K

5.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.79

-44.78%

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

Last update for North Little Rock, AR: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Little Rock, AR

$1.3K 52%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 50.2% $668

Groceries & Markets

North Little Rock, AR

$388 15.2%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 19.9% $77

Eating Out

North Little Rock, AR

$311 12.2%

Monterrey

$225 14% 27.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Little Rock, AR

$308 12%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 44% $135

Clothing & Footwear

North Little Rock, AR

$131 5.1%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 17.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

North Little Rock, AR

$70 2.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 40.9% $29

Getting Around

North Little Rock, AR

$20 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 109% $22

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 $1,618 in North Little Rock, AR and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in North Little Rock, AR vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 North Little Rock, AR

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

1 h behind North Little Rock, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,591

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.47 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.29 MXN (100 MXN = 5.47 USD). 1 EUR = 20.42 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

North Little Rock, AR Monterrey 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

North Little Rock, 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

North Little Rock, AR vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Little Rock, AR and Monterrey differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($2,560 vs $1,608 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,840 in North Little Rock, AR and $2,412 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: $1,618 in North Little Rock, AR versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,315 in North Little Rock, AR versus $691 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 $50.0 versus $75.0 in North Little Rock, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,560 in North Little Rock, AR, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in North Little Rock, 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 59% less than in North Little Rock, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.