Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katy, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,431 in Katy, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Katy, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,431

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,431 per month in Katy, TX vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Katy, TX $2,431
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,672 per month in Katy, TX vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Katy, TX $3,672
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,913 per month in Katy, TX vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Katy, TX $4,913
Monterrey $3,387

Katy, TX costs about 52% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Katy, TX and Monterrey sit above the global median – Katy, TX by 79%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 $16.86

$13.80 MX$255

22.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$47.99 MX$887

26.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 $8.79

$10.65 MX$197

-17.46%

Cappuccino

$3.58 $3.58

$3.99 MX$73.7

-10.28%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$1.66 MX$30.76

23.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.99 MX$18.21

108.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.36 MX$43.64

66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 $5.46

$4.43 MX$81.8

23.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.82 MX$33.58

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$2.83 MX$52.4

29.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.92 MX$35.44

55.21%

Eggs

$3.08 $3.08

$2.48 MX$45.78

24.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.77 $12.77

$11.74 MX$217

8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 $9.27

$9.10 MX$168

1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$12.53 MX$232

28.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.34 MX$61.6

12.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.57 MX$29.10

-21.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.16 MX$39.86

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$2.47 MX$45.65

27.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.31 MX$42.64

-9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.68 MX$49.47

-12.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.46 MX$26.90

21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.19 MX$22.07

4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.77 $9.77

$4.75 MX$87.8

105.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 $12.36

$13.58 MX$251

-8.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.92 MX$35.52

-8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.88 MX$53.2

-43.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 $4.59

$0.79 MX$14.66

481.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.0 $91.0

$31.36 MX$579

190.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.59 MX$29.44

76.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.06 MX$19.58

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.39 $34.39

$10.80 MX$200

218.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.55 MX$28.59

-47.10%

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

$32.5K $32.5K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

34.56%

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

$24.6K $24.6K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

0.96%

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

$226 $226

$117 MX$2,159

93.73%

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

$57.4 $57.4

$26.38 MX$488

117.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.7 $70.7

$26.04 MX$481

171.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 $30.38

$30.26 MX$559

0.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.12 $25.12

$21.25 MX$393

18.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.93 $11.93

$5.23 MX$96.6

128.11%

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

$1,004 $1,004

$673 MX$12.4K

49.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K $19.3K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

73.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 $52.6

$72.1 MX$1,332

-27.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.11 $43.11

$42.38 MX$783

1.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 $86.8

$112 MX$2,066

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$119 MX$2,200

-12.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 $1,594

$949 MX$17.5K

67.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 $1,196

$666 MX$12.3K

79.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,601 $2,601

$1,821 MX$33.7K

42.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,268 $2,268

$1,271 MX$23.5K

78.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,028 $2,028

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-49.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,693 $1,693

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-27.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,760 $5,760

$1,155 MX$21.3K

398.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

11.79

-45.63%

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

Last update for Katy, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Katy, TX

$1.2K 49.2%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 44.3% $530

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katy, TX

$354 14.6%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 52.2% $185

Groceries & Markets

Katy, TX

$326 13.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 6.7% $22

Eating Out

Katy, TX

$251 10.3%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 11.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Katy, TX

$129 5.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 20.7% $27

Getting Around

Katy, TX

$120 4.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 65.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Katy, TX

$54 2.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 25% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,594 in Katy, TX versus $949 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 399% higher in Katy, 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 $61.0 in Katy, TX versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Katy, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

1 h behind Katy, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,102

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Katy, TX Monterrey 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Katy, 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

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

Katy, TX costs about 52% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,646 per month in Katy, TX and $2,399 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.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Katy, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Katy, TX and $48.00 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Katy, TX at $2,431. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Katy, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $2,431 in Katy, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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