Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edinburg, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,581 in Edinburg, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Edinburg, TX
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Edinburg, TX Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Edinburg, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,581

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,581 in Edinburg, TX versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Edinburg, TX $2,581
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,775 in Edinburg, TX versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Edinburg, TX $3,775
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,968 in Edinburg, TX versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Edinburg, TX $4,968
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Edinburg, TX is roughly 61% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Edinburg, TX 90% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.81 $18.81

$13.80 MX$255

36.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.4 $76.4

$47.99 MX$887

59.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 $10.96

$10.65 MX$197

2.91%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.99 MX$73.7

24.06%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.66 MX$30.76

49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.99 MX$18.21

97.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 $5.83

$2.36 MX$43.64

147.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.11 $7.11

$4.43 MX$81.8

60.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.82 MX$33.58

-45.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.83 MX$52.4

22.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.92 MX$35.44

126.04%

Eggs

$4.12 $4.12

$2.48 MX$45.78

66.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$11.74 MX$217

6.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 $11.36

$9.10 MX$168

24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 $15.13

$12.53 MX$232

20.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.34 MX$61.6

46.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.57 MX$29.10

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.16 MX$39.86

99.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$2.47 MX$45.65

94.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$2.31 MX$42.64

22.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.68 MX$49.47

2.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.46 MX$26.90

43.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.19 MX$22.07

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.83 $9.83

$4.75 MX$87.8

106.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 $13.85

$13.58 MX$251

1.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.92 MX$35.52

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.88 MX$53.2

20.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.79 MX$14.66

155.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.59 MX$29.44

125.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.06 MX$19.58

57.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.86 $28.86

$10.80 MX$200

167.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.55 MX$28.59

-46.45%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

23.13%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

5.56%

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

$190 $190

$117 MX$2,159

62.25%

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

$52.4 $52.4

$26.38 MX$488

98.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$26.04 MX$481

158.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 $43.70

$30.26 MX$559

44.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 $13.76

$5.23 MX$96.6

163.10%

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

$1,288 $1,288

$673 MX$12.4K

91.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

108.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$72.1 MX$1,332

-29.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.96 $39.96

$42.38 MX$783

-5.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 $87.1

$112 MX$2,066

-22.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$119 MX$2,200

-5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,627 $1,627

$949 MX$17.5K

71.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 $1,362

$666 MX$12.3K

104.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 $2,600

$1,821 MX$33.7K

42.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,253 $2,253

$1,271 MX$23.5K

77.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,824 $2,824

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-30.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,417 $2,417

$2,348 MX$43.4K

2.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.79

-44.78%

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

Last update for Edinburg, TX: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edinburg, TX

$1.4K 52.8%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 51.1% $695

Groceries & Markets

Edinburg, TX

$385 14.9%

Monterrey

$304 19% 20.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edinburg, TX

$309 12%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 45.3% $140

Eating Out

Edinburg, TX

$304 11.8%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 27.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Edinburg, TX

$131 5.1%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 19% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Edinburg, TX

$71 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 42.8% $30

Getting Around

Edinburg, TX

$20 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 107% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,627 in Edinburg, TX and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $76.0 in Edinburg, TX vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $385 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Edinburg, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

1 h behind Edinburg, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,243

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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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Edinburg, TX Monterrey 230 km

From you

Edinburg, TX
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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

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

Edinburg, TX and Monterrey differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,581 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,872 in Edinburg, TX and $2,399 in Monterrey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,627 in Edinburg, TX versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,288 in Edinburg, TX versus $673 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $76.0 in Edinburg, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,581 in Edinburg, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Edinburg, 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 61% less than in Edinburg, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.