Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Garland, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,590 in Garland, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

127

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Garland, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,590

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,590 per month in Garland, TX vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Garland, TX $2,590
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $3,751 per month in Garland, TX vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Garland, TX $3,751
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $4,912 per month in Garland, TX vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Garland, TX $4,912
Monterrey $3,417

Garland, TX costs about 61% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Garland, TX and Monterrey sit above the global median – Garland, TX by 93%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 $19.79

$13.75 MX$253

43.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.4 $54.4

$50.2 MX$923

8.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 $10.02

$11.13 MX$205

-9.97%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$4.04 MX$74.3

40.59%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.70 MX$31.33

54.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.99 MX$18.19

135.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.41 MX$44.27

129.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 $7.40

$4.48 MX$82.5

65.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.92 MX$35.36

-52.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 $3.80

$2.89 MX$53.2

31.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.94 MX$35.72

174.23%

Eggs

$4.53 $4.53

$2.50 MX$45.97

81.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 $7.87

$12.30 MX$226

-36.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 $11.68

$9.33 MX$172

25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.34 $19.34

$13.07 MX$240

47.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.38 MX$62.2

57.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.58 MX$29.07

-21.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.23 $5.23

$2.20 MX$40.51

137.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$2.45 MX$44.96

79.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.26 MX$41.54

-8.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.74 MX$50.4

-24.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$1.53 MX$28.13

39.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.26 MX$23.19

15.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 $9.64

$4.84 MX$89.0

99.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 $10.90

$13.59 MX$250

-19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.91 MX$35.06

5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 $3.26

$3.06 MX$56.4

6.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 $2.95

$0.80 MX$14.62

268.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 $96.7

$31.77 MX$584

204.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.62 MX$29.82

83.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.10 MX$20.20

56.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.18 $24.18

$10.97 MX$202

120.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.52 MX$27.98

-36.18%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.4K MX$393.0K

70.48%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$25.5K MX$468.3K

2.20%

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

$202 $202

$120 MX$2,201

69.13%

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

$54.2 $54.2

$27.08 MX$498

100.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.7 $80.7

$26.70 MX$491

202.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.85 $39.85

$31.15 MX$573

27.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.24 $16.24

$21.95 MX$404

-26.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 $15.13

$5.14 MX$94.5

194.36%

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

$1,341 $1,341

$688 MX$12.6K

94.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.6K $28.6K

$11.4K MX$210.1K

150.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 $60.2

$71.9 MX$1,323

-16.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 $29.52

$43.30 MX$796

-31.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 $84.7

$112 MX$2,062

-24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$122 MX$2,240

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 $1,518

$957 MX$17.6K

58.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,276 $1,276

$670 MX$12.3K

90.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,344 $2,344

$1,887 MX$34.7K

24.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 $2,077

$1,305 MX$24.0K

59.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,256 $3,256

$4,159 MX$76.5K

-21.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,953 $1,953

$2,437 MX$44.8K

-19.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,710 $3,710

$1,133 MX$20.8K

227.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

11.79

-43.85%

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

Last update for Garland, TX: October 6, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Garland, TX

$1.3K 48.5%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 47.5% $606

Groceries & Markets

Garland, TX

$378 14.4%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 17.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Garland, TX

$337 12.8%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 48.6% $164

Eating Out

Garland, TX

$319 12.1%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 29.8% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Garland, TX

$133 5%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 18.6% $25

Getting Around

Garland, TX

$120 4.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 65% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Garland, TX

$70 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 40.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,518 in Garland, 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 227% higher in Garland, 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 $54.0 in Garland, TX versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Garland, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

1 h behind Garland, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,035

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Garland, TX Monterrey 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Garland, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,590 in Garland, TX, $1,607 in Monterrey – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,885 per month in Garland, 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 $1,341 per month in Garland, 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 21% more in Garland, 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 Garland, TX at $2,590. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Garland, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,607 in Monterrey to $2,590 in Garland, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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