Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sioux City, IA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,192 in Sioux City, IA, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Sioux City, IA
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Sioux City, IA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Sioux City, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,192

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,192 in Sioux City, IA versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Sioux City, IA $2,192
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,334 in Sioux City, IA versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Sioux City, IA $3,334
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,477 in Sioux City, IA versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Sioux City, IA $4,477
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Sioux City, IA is roughly 36% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sioux City, IA 64% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.27 $20.27

$13.75 MX$253

47.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 $54.2

$50.2 MX$924

7.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 $10.45

$11.13 MX$205

-6.11%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$4.04 MX$74.5

49.01%

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

$2.15 $2.15

$1.70 MX$31.39

26.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.99 MX$18.22

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.41 MX$44.35

106.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$4.48 MX$82.6

31.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.92 MX$35.42

-54.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.89 MX$53.2

2.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.94 MX$35.78

66.49%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.50 MX$46.05

40.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 $8.35

$12.30 MX$227

-32.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$9.33 MX$172

-18.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.89 $16.89

$13.07 MX$241

29.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.38 MX$62.3

42.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.58 MX$29.12

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.20 MX$40.58

91.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.45 MX$45.04

61.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.26 MX$41.61

-16.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.74 MX$50.5

74.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.53 MX$28.18

51.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.26 MX$23.23

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 $9.13

$4.84 MX$89.2

88.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.11 $15.11

$13.59 MX$250

11.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.91 MX$35.12

-12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.06 MX$56.5

-3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.80 MX$14.65

131.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.11 $47.11

$31.77 MX$585

48.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.62 MX$29.88

22.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.10 MX$20.24

14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.21 $20.21

$10.97 MX$202

84.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.52 MX$28.03

-42.76%

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

$36.3K $36.3K

$21.4K MX$393.7K

69.66%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$25.5K MX$469.1K

-2.41%

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

$165 $165

$120 MX$2,205

37.80%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$27.08 MX$499

93.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$26.70 MX$492

158.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.8 $98.8

$31.15 MX$574

217.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 $20.20

$21.95 MX$404

-7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.17 $15.17

$5.14 MX$94.7

195.14%

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

$1,089 $1,089

$688 MX$12.7K

58.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K $11.8K

$11.4K MX$210.5K

3.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 $43.23

$71.9 MX$1,325

-39.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.84 $21.84

$43.30 MX$798

-49.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 $76.7

$112 MX$2,065

-31.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 $88.8

$122 MX$2,244

-27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 $947

$957 MX$17.6K

-1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$945 $945

$670 MX$12.3K

40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,480 $1,480

$1,887 MX$34.8K

-21.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 $1,690

$1,305 MX$24.0K

29.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,540 $1,540

$4,159 MX$76.6K

-62.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,535 $1,535

$2,437 MX$44.9K

-37.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,593 $3,593

$1,133 MX$20.9K

217.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Sioux City, IA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sioux City, IA

$945 43.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 29.1% $275

Groceries & Markets

Sioux City, IA

$344 15.7%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 9.3% $32

Eating Out

Sioux City, IA

$318 14.5%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 29.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sioux City, IA

$286 13.1%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 39.4% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Sioux City, IA

$129 5.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 67.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Sioux City, IA

$104 4.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 51.5% $53

Getting Around

Sioux City, IA

$63 2.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 33% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $947 in Sioux City, IA and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sioux City, IA pays 217% 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: $54.0 in Sioux City, IA vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sioux City, IA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

01:54 1:54 AM

1 h behind Sioux City, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,797

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sioux City, IA Monterrey 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sioux City, IA
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

Sioux City, IA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sioux City, IA and Monterrey differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($2,192 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 217% higher in Sioux City, IA, 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: $947 in Sioux City, IA versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $54.0 in Sioux City, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,192 per month in Sioux City, IA versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,192 in Sioux City, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Sioux City, 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Sioux City, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.