Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rolla, MO and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,401 in Rolla, MO, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Rolla, MO
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Rolla, MO Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Rolla, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,401

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,408 in Rolla, MO versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Rolla, MO $2,408
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Rolla, MO versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Rolla, MO $2,725
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,042 in Rolla, MO versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Rolla, MO $3,042
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Rolla, MO is roughly 50% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rolla, MO 78% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 $12.07

$13.80 MX$255

-12.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.49 $35.49

$47.99 MX$887

-26.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.02 $9.02

$10.65 MX$197

-15.31%

Cappuccino

$4.11 $4.11

$3.99 MX$73.7

3.01%

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

$1.98 $1.98

$1.66 MX$30.76

19.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.99 MX$18.21

30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.36 MX$43.64

23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$4.43 MX$81.8

-7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.82 MX$33.58

-45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.83 MX$52.4

16.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.92 MX$35.44

15.10%

Eggs

$1.42 $1.42

$2.48 MX$45.78

-42.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 $11.21

$11.74 MX$217

-4.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 $8.73

$9.10 MX$168

-4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$12.53 MX$232

-37.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$3.34 MX$61.6

34.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 MX$29.10

-28.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.16 MX$39.86

38.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.47 MX$45.65

78.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.31 MX$42.64

-26.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.68 MX$49.47

-13.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.46 MX$26.90

23.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.19 MX$22.07

73.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.75 MX$87.8

4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 $5.14

$13.58 MX$251

-62.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.92 MX$35.52

-3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.88 MX$53.2

47.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.79 MX$14.66

187.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.59 MX$29.44

86.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.06 MX$19.58

37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.61 $36.61

$10.80 MX$200

238.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.55 MX$28.59

-45.16%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

17.35%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

11.20%

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

$272 $272

$117 MX$2,159

132.49%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$26.38 MX$488

121.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$26.04 MX$481

173.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.93 $40.93

$30.26 MX$559

35.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.94 $9.94

$21.25 MX$393

-53.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 $9.88

$5.23 MX$96.6

88.91%

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

$758 $758

$673 MX$12.4K

12.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

86.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 $72.7

$72.1 MX$1,332

0.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 $36.69

$42.38 MX$783

-13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 $78.6

$112 MX$2,066

-29.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 $125

$119 MX$2,200

4.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 $1,616

$949 MX$17.5K

70.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 $1,279

$666 MX$12.3K

91.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,101 $1,101

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-39.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 $820

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-35.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,901 $2,901

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-28.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,214 $2,214

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-5.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,580 $4,580

$1,155 MX$21.3K

296.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

11.79

-46.06%

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

Last update for Rolla, MO: 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

Rolla, MO

$1.3K 53.3%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 47.9% $612

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rolla, MO

$401 16.7%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 57.8% $232

Groceries & Markets

Rolla, MO

$291 12.1%

Monterrey

$304 19% 4.5% $13

Eating Out

Rolla, MO

$209 8.7%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 6.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Rolla, MO

$141 5.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 10.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Rolla, MO

$61 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 32.9% $20

Getting Around

Rolla, MO

$19 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 114% $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 $1,584 in Rolla, MO and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rolla, MO pays 297% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Rolla, MO vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $310 per month, with Rolla, MO cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rolla, MO

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

03:52 3:52 AM

1 h behind Rolla, MO

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,943

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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Highest

Between locations

Rolla, MO Monterrey 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Rolla, MO
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

Rolla, MO vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rolla, MO and Monterrey differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($2,408 vs $1,608 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 297% higher in Rolla, MO, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,584 in Rolla, MO versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Rolla, MO 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 $35.00 in Rolla, MO. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,408 in Rolla, MO, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Rolla, MO. 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 50% less than in Rolla, MO. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.