Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between College Station, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,108 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,108

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,108 in College Station, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

College Station, TX $2,108
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,162 in College Station, TX versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

College Station, TX $3,162
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,216 in College Station, TX versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

College Station, TX $4,216
Monterrey $3,433

Living in College Station, TX is roughly 31% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: College Station, TX 56% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.08 $15.08

$13.85 MX$256

8.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.5 $76.5

$49.70 MX$918

53.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.24 $12.24

$11.05 MX$204

10.77%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.09 MX$75.6

31.78%

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

$2.84 $2.84

$1.68 MX$30.97

69.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.03 MX$18.98

70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$2.40 MX$44.28

114.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 $7.63

$4.35 MX$80.3

75.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.92 MX$35.55

-60.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.94 MX$54.2

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.88 MX$34.66

107.45%

Eggs

$2.88 $2.88

$2.55 MX$47.06

12.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 $12.11

$11.84 MX$219

2.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 $9.47

$9.36 MX$173

1.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$13.10 MX$242

0.53%

Apples (1kg)

$6.37 $6.37

$3.38 MX$62.5

88.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 MX$28.13

1.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$2.19 MX$40.51

195.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.36 MX$43.63

105.08%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.26 MX$41.76

80.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.73 MX$50.5

6.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.52 MX$28.17

15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.24 MX$22.90

45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.75 MX$87.8

85.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.12 $14.12

$13.66 MX$252

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.89 MX$34.95

-6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.99 MX$55.2

30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.85 MX$15.78

20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.08 $20.08

$30.95 MX$572

-35.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 $10.13

$1.68 MX$30.98

502.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.13 MX$20.87

62.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.6 $59.6

$11.15 MX$206

434.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.56 MX$28.91

-41.67%

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

$36.6K $36.6K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

70.97%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-0.17%

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

$175 $175

$119 MX$2,206

46.90%

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

$39.25 $39.25

$26.21 MX$484

49.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 $55.6

$26.78 MX$495

107.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.63 $25.63

$31.03 MX$573

-17.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 $17.43

$21.43 MX$396

-18.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.57 $11.57

$5.29 MX$97.7

118.71%

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

$747 $747

$691 MX$12.8K

8.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

54.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.1 $60.1

$72.3 MX$1,335

-16.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$42.72 MX$789

-10.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$110 MX$2,024

-23.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$117 MX$2,158

5.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 $1,128

$970 MX$17.9K

16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$952 $952

$664 MX$12.3K

43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 $1,951

$1,857 MX$34.3K

5.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,595 $1,595

$1,287 MX$23.8K

23.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 $2,161

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-48.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,178 $2,178

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-7.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,241 $4,241

$1,146 MX$21.2K

269.91%

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 College Station, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

College Station, TX

$952 45.2%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 30.3% $289

Groceries & Markets

College Station, TX

$374 17.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 17% $64

Eating Out

College Station, TX

$281 13.4%

Monterrey

$225 14% 20.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

College Station, TX

$270 12.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 36.2% $98

Clothing & Footwear

College Station, TX

$138 6.5%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 11.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

College Station, TX

$49 2.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 14.7% $7.2

Getting Around

College Station, TX

$43 2.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 4.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,128 in College Station, TX and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 270% 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: $77.0 in College Station, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $374 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h behind College Station, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,511

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

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Between locations

College Station, TX Monterrey 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

College Station, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in College Station, 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 270% higher in College Station, 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: $1,128 in College Station, TX versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 54% less than in College Station, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $747 in College Station, TX versus $691 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,108 in College Station, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in College Station, 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 $1,608 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 31% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.