Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Denton, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,350 in Denton, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Denton, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,350

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,350 in Denton, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Denton, TX $2,350
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,547 in Denton, TX versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Denton, TX $3,547
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,745 in Denton, TX versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Denton, TX $4,745
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Denton, TX is roughly 46% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Denton, TX 74% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.78 $17.78

$13.85 MX$256

28.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.2 $75.2

$49.70 MX$918

51.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 $11.21

$11.05 MX$204

1.45%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$4.09 MX$75.6

22.98%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.68 MX$30.97

54.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.03 MX$18.98

55.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$2.40 MX$44.28

145.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$4.35 MX$80.3

59.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.92 MX$35.55

-59.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.94 MX$54.2

-1.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.88 MX$34.66

57.45%

Eggs

$2.73 $2.73

$2.55 MX$47.06

7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.84 MX$219

-14.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$9.36 MX$173

7.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.51 $16.51

$13.10 MX$242

26.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.38 MX$62.5

35.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.52 MX$28.13

0.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$2.19 MX$40.51

52.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 $4.21

$2.36 MX$43.63

78.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.26 MX$41.76

-17.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.73 MX$50.5

7.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 MX$28.17

1.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.24 MX$22.90

115.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.19 $10.19

$4.75 MX$87.8

114.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.69 $11.69

$13.66 MX$252

-14.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.89 MX$34.95

23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.99 MX$55.2

28.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 $1.53

$0.85 MX$15.78

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.29 $48.29

$30.95 MX$572

56.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.68 MX$30.98

95.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.13 MX$20.87

36.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.91 $29.91

$11.15 MX$206

168.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.56 MX$28.91

-37.18%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

27.75%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

8.48%

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

$223 $223

$119 MX$2,206

86.98%

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

$67.4 $67.4

$26.21 MX$484

157.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.2 $75.2

$26.78 MX$495

180.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.67 $32.67

$31.03 MX$573

5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.26 $32.26

$21.43 MX$396

50.54%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 $16.00

$5.29 MX$97.7

202.46%

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

$1,796 $1,796

$691 MX$12.8K

159.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K $20.0K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

74.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.8 $50.8

$72.3 MX$1,335

-29.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$42.72 MX$789

17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 $99.6

$110 MX$2,024

-9.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 $129

$117 MX$2,158

10.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,267 $1,267

$970 MX$17.9K

30.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 $1,061

$664 MX$12.3K

59.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 $2,322

$1,857 MX$34.3K

25.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 $1,918

$1,287 MX$23.8K

49.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,712 $2,712

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-34.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,175 $2,175

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-7.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,782 $3,782

$1,146 MX$21.2K

229.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.78

11.79

-42.49%

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

Last update for Denton, 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

Denton, TX

$1.1K 45.2%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 37.4% $397

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Denton, TX

$366 15.6%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 52.9% $193

Groceries & Markets

Denton, TX

$348 14.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 10.9% $38

Eating Out

Denton, TX

$296 12.6%

Monterrey

$225 14% 24.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Denton, TX

$148 6.3%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 3.5% $5.2

Getting Around

Denton, TX

$65 2.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 36.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Denton, TX

$65 2.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 35.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,267 in Denton, TX and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Denton, TX pays 230% 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: $75.0 in Denton, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $348 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Denton, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

00:53 12:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

1 h behind Denton, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,561

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Denton, TX Monterrey 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Denton, 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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Denton, 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 230% higher in Denton, 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: $1,267 in Denton, TX versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Denton, 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 $75.0 in Denton, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,350 in Denton, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Denton, 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 46% less than in Denton, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.