Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galveston, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,217 in Galveston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Galveston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Galveston, TX vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Galveston, TX $2,217
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Galveston, TX vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Galveston, TX $3,211
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $4,204 per month in Galveston, TX vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Galveston, TX $4,204
Monterrey $3,433

Galveston, TX costs about 38% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galveston, TX and Monterrey sit above the global median – Galveston, TX by 64%, Monterrey by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.68 $21.68

$13.85 MX$256

56.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.0 $77.0

$49.70 MX$918

55.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$11.05 MX$204

9.50%

Cappuccino

$7.86 $7.86

$4.09 MX$75.6

92.18%

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

$2.93 $2.93

$1.68 MX$30.97

74.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.03 MX$18.98

66.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$2.40 MX$44.28

105.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 $3.88

$4.35 MX$80.3

-10.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.92 MX$35.55

-57.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.94 MX$54.2

-12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.88 MX$34.66

56.91%

Eggs

$2.84 $2.84

$2.55 MX$47.06

11.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.15 $11.15

$11.84 MX$219

-5.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.60 $9.60

$9.36 MX$173

2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.32 $13.32

$13.10 MX$242

1.68%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.38 MX$62.5

64.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.52 MX$28.13

1.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.19 MX$40.51

42.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.36 MX$43.63

63.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.26 MX$41.76

-5.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$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)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.24 MX$22.90

47.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$4.75 MX$87.8

78.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 $11.29

$13.66 MX$252

-17.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.89 MX$34.95

-10.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.99 MX$55.2

-40.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$0.85 MX$15.78

130.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.52 $32.52

$30.95 MX$572

5.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.11 $10.11

$1.68 MX$30.98

501.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.13 MX$20.87

61.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.9 $59.9

$11.15 MX$206

437.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.56 MX$28.91

-41.03%

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

$29.4K $29.4K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

37.37%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

0.64%

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

$179 $179

$119 MX$2,206

49.79%

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

$42.34 $42.34

$26.21 MX$484

61.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.66 $39.66

$26.78 MX$495

48.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.15 $34.15

$31.03 MX$573

10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$11.58 $11.58

$5.29 MX$97.7

118.90%

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

$746 $746

$691 MX$12.8K

7.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K $18.0K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

57.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.83 $42.83

$72.3 MX$1,335

-40.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.03 $39.03

$42.72 MX$789

-8.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 $71.5

$110 MX$2,024

-34.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 $80.9

$117 MX$2,158

-30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 $1,167

$970 MX$17.9K

20.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 $1,057

$664 MX$12.3K

59.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,119 $2,119

$1,857 MX$34.3K

14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 $1,579

$1,287 MX$23.8K

22.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,739 $2,739

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-34.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,177 $2,177

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-7.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,172 $4,172

$1,146 MX$21.2K

263.93%

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 Galveston, 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

Galveston, TX

$1.1K 47.7%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 37.2% $393

Eating Out

Galveston, TX

$355 16%

Monterrey

$225 14% 36.8% $130

Groceries & Markets

Galveston, TX

$322 14.5%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 3.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galveston, TX

$261 11.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 33.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Galveston, TX

$105 4.8%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 45.7% $48

Getting Around

Galveston, TX

$60 2.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 30.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Galveston, TX

$57 2.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 27.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,167 in Galveston, TX versus $970 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 264% higher in Galveston, 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 $77.0 in Galveston, TX versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $310 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Galveston, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h behind Galveston, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,695

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Galveston, TX Monterrey 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Galveston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,217 in Galveston, TX, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,326 per month in Galveston, TX and $2,412 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Galveston, TX and $1,608 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 38%.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Galveston, TX at $2,217. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galveston, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Galveston, TX has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Monterrey to $2,217 in Galveston, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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