Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Allen, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,821 in Allen, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Allen, TX
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Allen, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Allen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,821

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Allen, TX versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Allen, TX $2,821
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,059 in Allen, TX versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Allen, TX $4,059
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,297 in Allen, TX versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Allen, TX $5,297
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Allen, TX is roughly 76% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Allen, TX 111% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 $20.20

$13.75 MX$252

46.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 $58.9

$50.2 MX$921

17.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.97 $10.97

$11.13 MX$204

-1.44%

Cappuccino

$5.87 $5.87

$4.04 MX$74.2

45.30%

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

$2.79 $2.79

$1.70 MX$31.29

64.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.99 MX$18.17

71.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 $5.60

$2.41 MX$44.21

132.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$4.48 MX$82.3

103.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.92 MX$35.31

-52.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.89 MX$53.1

-2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.94 MX$35.67

19.59%

Eggs

$3.69 $3.69

$2.50 MX$45.90

47.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 $10.49

$12.30 MX$226

-14.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.11 $15.11

$9.33 MX$171

61.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.38 $16.38

$13.07 MX$240

25.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$3.38 MX$62.1

-10.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.58 MX$29.02

70.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.20 MX$40.45

31.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.45 MX$44.89

1.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.26 MX$41.47

-4.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.74 MX$50.4

-24.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.53 MX$28.09

15.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.26 MX$23.16

91.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$4.84 MX$88.9

96.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 $11.82

$13.59 MX$249

-13.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.91 MX$35.01

9.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.06 MX$56.3

6.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

$0.80 MX$14.60

270.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$31.77 MX$583

86.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.62 MX$29.78

86.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.10 MX$20.17

61.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.29 $24.29

$10.97 MX$201

121.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.52 MX$27.93

-42.11%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

73.22%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-1.81%

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

$164 $164

$120 MX$2,198

37.27%

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

$89.5 $89.5

$27.08 MX$497

230.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 $66.7

$26.70 MX$490

149.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.8 $74.8

$31.15 MX$572

139.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.58 $30.58

$21.95 MX$403

39.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.20 $12.20

$5.14 MX$94.4

137.35%

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

$1,760 $1,760

$688 MX$12.6K

155.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K $28.2K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

146.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$71.9 MX$1,321

-22.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.65 $28.65

$43.30 MX$795

-33.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$112 MX$2,059

-16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 $98.8

$122 MX$2,236

-18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 $1,498

$957 MX$17.6K

56.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 $1,498

$670 MX$12.3K

123.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,491 $2,491

$1,887 MX$34.7K

31.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,467 $2,467

$1,305 MX$24.0K

89.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,654 $3,654

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-12.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,027 $3,027

$2,437 MX$44.7K

24.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,079 $6,079

$1,133 MX$20.8K

436.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.79

-44.61%

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

Last update for Allen, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Allen, TX

$1.5K 53.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 55.3% $828

Groceries & Markets

Allen, TX

$360 12.8%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 13.3% $48

Eating Out

Allen, TX

$329 11.7%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 32.1% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Allen, TX

$321 11.4%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 45.9% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Allen, TX

$125 4.4%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 26.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Allen, TX

$99 3.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 58.2% $58

Getting Around

Allen, TX

$83 3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 49.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,498 in Allen, TX and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Allen, TX pays 437% 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: $59.0 in Allen, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Allen, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

1 h behind Allen, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,874

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Allen, TX Monterrey 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Allen, TX
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

Allen, TX vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Allen, TX and Monterrey differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($2,821 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 437% higher in Allen, TX, 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: $1,498 in Allen, TX versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Allen, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $59.0 in Allen, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,821 in Allen, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Allen, TX. 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 76% less than in Allen, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.