Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbandale, IA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,310 in Urbandale, IA, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Urbandale, IA
Learn more

Urbandale, IA Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Urbandale, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,310

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,310 in Urbandale, IA versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Urbandale, IA $2,310
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,374 in Urbandale, IA versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Urbandale, IA $3,374
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,437 in Urbandale, IA versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Urbandale, IA $4,437
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Urbandale, IA is roughly 44% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Urbandale, IA 70% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$13.80 MX$255

7.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 $50.9

$47.99 MX$887

6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$10.65 MX$197

-6.48%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.99 MX$73.7

24.56%

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

$1.21 $1.21

$1.66 MX$30.76

-27.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.99 MX$18.21

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.36 MX$43.64

118.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$4.43 MX$81.8

71.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.82 MX$33.58

-44.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.83 MX$52.4

14.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$1.92 MX$35.44

100.00%

Eggs

$2.05 $2.05

$2.48 MX$45.78

-17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$11.74 MX$217

19.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 $9.88

$9.10 MX$168

8.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 $13.88

$12.53 MX$232

10.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.34 MX$61.6

-3.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.57 MX$29.10

2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.16 MX$39.86

60.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.47 MX$45.65

33.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.31 MX$42.64

33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$2.68 MX$49.47

25.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.46 MX$26.90

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.19 MX$22.07

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$4.75 MX$87.8

71.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$13.58 MX$251

-11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.92 MX$35.52

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.88 MX$53.2

-35.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.79 MX$14.66

159.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 $66.0

$31.36 MX$579

110.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.59 MX$29.44

54.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.06 MX$19.58

13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.2 $60.2

$10.80 MX$200

457.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.55 MX$28.59

-36.77%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

43.07%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

5.36%

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

$140 $140

$117 MX$2,159

19.57%

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

$14.79 $14.79

$26.38 MX$488

-43.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.01 $25.01

$26.04 MX$481

-3.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.57 $35.57

$30.26 MX$559

17.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 $20.34

$21.25 MX$393

-4.28%

Cinema Ticket

$14.81 $14.81

$5.23 MX$96.6

183.17%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$673 MX$12.4K

73.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

86.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 $61.3

$72.1 MX$1,332

-14.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.96 $21.96

$42.38 MX$783

-48.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.54 $45.54

$112 MX$2,066

-59.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 $75.1

$119 MX$2,200

-36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$949 MX$17.5K

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$666 MX$12.3K

93.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 $1,237

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-32.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,271 MX$23.5K

70.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-31.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,710 $2,710

$2,348 MX$43.4K

15.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,637 $3,637

$1,155 MX$21.3K

214.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

11.79

-44.36%

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

Last update for Urbandale, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urbandale, IA

$1.3K 55.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 48.4% $624

Groceries & Markets

Urbandale, IA

$342 14.8%

Monterrey

$304 19% 11% $38

Eating Out

Urbandale, IA

$258 11.2%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 14.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbandale, IA

$179 7.8%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 5.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Urbandale, IA

$92 4%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 69.3% $64

Getting Around

Urbandale, IA

$83 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 49.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Urbandale, IA

$65 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 37.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $933 in Urbandale, IA and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbandale, IA pays 215% 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: $51.0 in Urbandale, IA vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbandale, IA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

1 h behind Urbandale, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,580

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Urbandale, IA Monterrey 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Urbandale, 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

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

Urbandale, IA and Monterrey differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,310 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 215% higher in Urbandale, 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: $933 in Urbandale, IA versus $949 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 $48.00 versus $51.0 in Urbandale, IA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,310 per month in Urbandale, IA versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 44% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,310 in Urbandale, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Urbandale, 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.

Safety-wise, Urbandale, IA and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Urbandale, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.