Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dallas, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,882 in Dallas, TX, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Dallas, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,882

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,882 per month in Dallas, TX vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Dallas, TX $2,882
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $4,362 per month in Dallas, TX vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Dallas, TX $4,362
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $5,841 per month in Dallas, TX vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Dallas, TX $5,841
Monterrey $3,417

Dallas, TX costs about 79% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dallas, TX and Monterrey sit above the global median – Dallas, TX by 115%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.21 $21.21

$13.75 MX$252

54.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 $90.5

$50.2 MX$921

80.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.13 MX$204

8.72%

Cappuccino

$6.22 $6.22

$4.04 MX$74.2

53.96%

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

$3.24 $3.24

$1.70 MX$31.29

90.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 $2.31

$0.99 MX$18.17

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 $8.21

$2.41 MX$44.21

240.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 $7.91

$4.48 MX$82.3

76.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.92 MX$35.31

-45.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.89 MX$53.1

7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.94 MX$35.67

143.81%

Eggs

$4.85 $4.85

$2.50 MX$45.90

94.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$12.30 MX$226

6.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 $11.44

$9.33 MX$171

22.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$13.07 MX$240

43.15%

Apples (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.38 MX$62.1

73.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.58 MX$29.02

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.20 MX$40.45

119.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$2.45 MX$44.89

70.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.26 MX$41.47

2.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.74 MX$50.4

16.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.53 MX$28.09

25.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.26 MX$23.16

131.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.84 MX$88.9

104.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.94 $15.94

$13.59 MX$249

17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.91 MX$35.01

80.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.06 MX$56.3

44.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.80 MX$14.60

280.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$125 $125

$31.77 MX$583

292.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.62 MX$29.78

82.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.10 MX$20.17

55.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.36 $24.36

$10.97 MX$201

122.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 MX$27.93

-32.89%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

67.13%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

11.84%

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

$196 $196

$120 MX$2,198

63.79%

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

$60.7 $60.7

$27.08 MX$497

124.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 $64.5

$26.70 MX$490

141.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 $60.4

$31.15 MX$572

93.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 $20.34

$21.95 MX$403

-7.33%

Cinema Ticket

$15.18 $15.18

$5.14 MX$94.4

195.33%

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

$2,083 $2,083

$688 MX$12.6K

202.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

113.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$71.9 MX$1,321

-9.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.38 $49.38

$43.30 MX$795

14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 $124

$112 MX$2,059

10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$122 MX$2,236

13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 $1,784

$957 MX$17.6K

86.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 $1,411

$670 MX$12.3K

110.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,806 $3,806

$1,887 MX$34.7K

101.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$1,305 MX$24.0K

84.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,381 $9,381

$4,159 MX$76.4K

125.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,212 $3,212

$2,437 MX$44.7K

31.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,512 $4,512

$1,133 MX$20.8K

298.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

11.79

-41.82%

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

Last update for Dallas, TX: October 3, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dallas, TX

$1.4K 48.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 52.5% $741

Groceries & Markets

Dallas, TX

$426 14.6%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 26.6% $113

Eating Out

Dallas, TX

$360 12.3%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 37.8% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dallas, TX

$321 11%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 46% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Dallas, TX

$169 5.8%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Dallas, TX

$148 5.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 71.6% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Dallas, TX

$91 3.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 54.4% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,784 in Dallas, TX versus $957 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 298% higher in Dallas, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Dallas, TX versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Dallas, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

06:10 6:10 AM

1 h behind Dallas, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,302,638

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 = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dallas, TX Monterrey 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dallas, 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

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

Dallas, TX costs about 79% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,323 per month in Dallas, TX and $2,411 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,083 per month in Dallas, TX and $688 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Dallas, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Dallas, TX at $2,882. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dallas, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,607 versus $2,882 in Dallas, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dallas, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.