Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Houma, LA and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,059 in Houma, LA, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Houma, LA
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Houma, LA Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Houma, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Houma, LA vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Houma, LA $2,059
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $3,039 per month in Houma, LA vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Houma, LA $3,039
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $4,018 per month in Houma, LA vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Houma, LA $4,018
Monterrey $3,417

Houma, LA costs about 28% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Houma, LA and Monterrey sit above the global median – Houma, LA by 54%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.30 $20.30

$13.75 MX$253

47.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 $50.5

$50.2 MX$923

0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.13 MX$205

7.37%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$4.04 MX$74.3

38.37%

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

$2.11 $2.11

$1.70 MX$31.33

24.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.99 MX$18.19

67.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.41 MX$44.27

31.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 $4.87

$4.48 MX$82.5

8.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.92 MX$35.36

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.89 MX$53.2

33.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$1.94 MX$35.72

165.98%

Eggs

$1.77 $1.77

$2.50 MX$45.97

-29.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 $10.56

$12.30 MX$226

-14.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$9.33 MX$172

7.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$13.07 MX$240

15.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.38 MX$62.2

51.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 $1.30

$1.58 MX$29.07

-17.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$2.20 MX$40.51

143.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.45 MX$44.96

64.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.26 MX$41.54

-8.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.74 MX$50.4

20.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.53 MX$28.13

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.26 MX$23.19

112.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.60 $8.60

$4.84 MX$89.0

77.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 $13.12

$13.59 MX$250

-3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.91 MX$35.06

34.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.06 MX$56.4

32.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$584

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.62 MX$29.82

120.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.10 MX$20.20

39.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.18 $35.18

$10.97 MX$202

220.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.52 MX$27.98

-38.82%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.4K MX$393.0K

67.84%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$25.5K MX$468.3K

2.90%

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

$151 $151

$120 MX$2,201

25.89%

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

$71.1 $71.1

$27.08 MX$498

162.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.43 $48.43

$26.70 MX$491

81.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.71 $27.71

$31.15 MX$573

-11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$12.69 $12.69

$5.14 MX$94.5

146.89%

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

$1,535 $1,535

$688 MX$12.6K

123.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K $10.2K

$11.4K MX$210.1K

-10.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$71.9 MX$1,323

-20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 $43.31

$43.30 MX$796

0.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$112 MX$2,062

-22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 $118

$122 MX$2,240

-3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 $1,073

$957 MX$17.6K

12.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$909 $909

$670 MX$12.3K

35.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 $1,549

$1,887 MX$34.7K

-17.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 $1,439

$1,305 MX$24.0K

10.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,465 $1,465

$4,159 MX$76.5K

-64.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,431 $1,431

$2,437 MX$44.8K

-41.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 $3,795

$1,133 MX$20.8K

234.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-66.07%

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

Last update for Houma, LA: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Houma, LA

$909 44%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 26.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Houma, LA

$380 18.4%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 17.7% $67

Eating Out

Houma, LA

$306 14.8%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 26.9% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Houma, LA

$270 13.1%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 35.8% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Houma, LA

$137 6.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 14.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Houma, LA

$53 2.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 21.9% $12

Getting Around

Houma, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 275% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,073 in Houma, LA 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 235% higher in Houma, LA, 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 $51.0 in Houma, LA versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Houma, LA

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

00:26 12:26 AM

1 h behind Houma, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,657

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

Houma, LA Monterrey 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Houma, LA
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

Houma, LA vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Houma, LA is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,088 per month in Houma, LA 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,059 in Houma, LA and $1,607 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $1,535 per month in Houma, LA and $688 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Houma, LA at $2,059. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Houma, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Houma, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.