Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Austin, TX $2,704
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Austin, TX $4,133
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Austin, TX $5,562
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 68% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$13.75 MX$250

47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$50.2 MX$913

69.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$11.13 MX$203

10.96%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.04 MX$73.5

35.40%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$1.70 MX$31.00

124.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.99 MX$18.00

152.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.41 MX$43.80

234.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$4.48 MX$81.6

100.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.92 MX$34.98

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.89 MX$52.6

30.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.94 MX$35.34

67.53%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.50 MX$45.47

65.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$12.30 MX$224

6.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.33 MX$170

53.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.07 MX$238

22.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$3.38 MX$61.5

29.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.58 MX$28.75

-8.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.20 MX$40.07

106.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.45 MX$44.48

71.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.26 MX$41.09

16.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.74 MX$49.89

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.53 MX$27.83

15.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.26 MX$22.94

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.84 MX$88.1

102.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$13.59 MX$247

8.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.91 MX$34.69

45.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.06 MX$55.8

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.80 MX$14.47

86.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$31.77 MX$578

27.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.62 MX$29.50

64.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.10 MX$19.99

43.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$10.97 MX$199

221.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.52 MX$27.68

-34.87%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.4K MX$388.7K

67.53%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.5K MX$463.3K

6.70%

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

$219 $219

$120 MX$2,178

83.15%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$27.08 MX$493

114.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$26.70 MX$486

156.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$31.15 MX$567

85.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$21.95 MX$399

-32.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.14 MX$93.5

174.90%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$688 MX$12.5K

119.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.4K MX$207.9K

87.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$71.9 MX$1,308

-28.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$43.30 MX$788

1.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$112 MX$2,040

-24.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$122 MX$2,216

-13.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$957 MX$17.4K

101.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$670 MX$12.2K

89.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,887 MX$34.3K

94.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$1,305 MX$23.7K

93.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$4,159 MX$75.7K

83.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$2,437 MX$44.3K

31.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,133 MX$20.6K

350.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.79

-42.41%

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

Last update for Austin, 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

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 47.3% $602

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 22.4% $90

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 35.7% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 49.8% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 22% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 51.9% $45

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 26.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 351% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

00:23 12:23 AM

1 h behind Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Monterrey 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 68% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 351% higher in Austin, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 68% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 28% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,607 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 68% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.