Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lufkin, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,213 in Lufkin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lufkin, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,213
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,213 per month in Lufkin, TX vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Lufkin, TX $2,213
  • Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $3,585 per month in Lufkin, TX vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Lufkin, TX $3,585
  • Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $4,957 per month in Lufkin, TX vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Lufkin, TX $4,957
  • Monterrey $3,433

Lufkin, TX costs about 38% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.93 $19.93
$13.85 MX$256
43.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.4 $77.4
$49.70 MX$918
55.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.14 $10.14
$11.05 MX$204
-8.24%
Cappuccino
$5.73 $5.73
$4.09 MX$75.6
40.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.57 $2.57
$1.68 MX$30.97
52.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$1.03 MX$18.98
118.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.07 $7.07
$2.40 MX$44.28
194.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.53 $7.53
$4.35 MX$80.3
73.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.92 MX$35.55
-47.40%
White Bread (500g)
$3.13 $3.13
$2.94 MX$54.2
6.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.09 $4.09
$1.88 MX$34.66
117.55%
Eggs
$5.84 $5.84
$2.55 MX$47.06
129.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$22.89 $22.89
$11.84 MX$219
93.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.87 $11.87
$9.36 MX$173
26.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.48 $19.48
$13.10 MX$242
48.70%
Apples (1kg)
$4.61 $4.61
$3.38 MX$62.5
36.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 $1.57
$1.52 MX$28.13
3.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.64 $2.64
$2.19 MX$40.51
20.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.99 $2.99
$2.36 MX$43.63
26.69%
Potato (1kg)
$2.82 $2.82
$2.26 MX$41.76
24.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.49 $2.49
$2.73 MX$50.5
-8.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.95 $1.95
$1.52 MX$28.17
28.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.84 $2.84
$1.24 MX$22.90
129.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.40 $9.40
$4.75 MX$87.8
97.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.61 $19.61
$13.66 MX$252
43.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.89 MX$34.95
-10.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 $3.35
$2.99 MX$55.2
12.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.08 $2.08
$0.85 MX$15.78
144.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$30.95 MX$572
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.68 MX$30.98
80.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.74 $1.74
$1.13 MX$20.87
53.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.66 $32.66
$11.15 MX$206
192.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 $0.89
$1.56 MX$28.91
-42.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K $36.2K
$21.4K MX$395.8K
69.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$25.1K MX$463.2K
2.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 $204
$119 MX$2,206
70.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$47.45 $47.45
$26.21 MX$484
81.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.0 $54.0
$26.78 MX$495
101.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.60 $39.60
$31.03 MX$573
27.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.43 MX$396
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.09 $15.09
$5.29 MX$97.7
185.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,340 $1,340
$691 MX$12.8K
93.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$25.4K $25.4K
$11.5K MX$212.1K
120.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$60.2 $60.2
$72.3 MX$1,335
-16.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.72 $37.72
$42.72 MX$789
-11.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.4 $86.4
$110 MX$2,024
-21.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.0 $68.0
$117 MX$2,158
-41.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,148 $1,148
$970 MX$17.9K
18.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$941 $941
$664 MX$12.3K
41.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,516 $2,516
$1,857 MX$34.3K
35.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,123 $2,123
$1,287 MX$23.8K
64.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,898 $2,898
$4,162 MX$76.9K
-30.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,098 $2,098
$2,349 MX$43.4K
-10.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lufkin, TX
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,146 MX$21.2K
-
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 Lufkin, TX: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lufkin, TX
$941
Monterrey
$664 29.5% $277
Groceries & Markets
Lufkin, TX
$435
Monterrey
$310 28.7% $125
Eating Out
Lufkin, TX
$328
Monterrey
$225 31.6% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lufkin, TX
$306
Monterrey
$172 43.6% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Lufkin, TX
$114
Monterrey
$154 35.3% $40
Sport & Entertainment
Lufkin, TX
$70
Monterrey
$42 40.4% $28
Getting Around
Lufkin, TX
$20 *
Monterrey
$42 108% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,148 in Lufkin, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Lufkin, TX versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $435 vs $310 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Lufkin, TX
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
08:39 8:39 AM
07:39 7:39 AM
1 h behind Lufkin, TX
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,085
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lufkin, TX Monterrey 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Lufkin, 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
Lufkin, TX vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lufkin, TX or Monterrey?
Lufkin, TX costs about 38% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lufkin, TX and in Monterrey?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,320 per month in Lufkin, TX and $2,412 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lufkin, TX or Monterrey?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Lufkin, TX and in Monterrey?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $77.0 in Lufkin, TX and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Lufkin, TX or in Monterrey?
Groceries cost about 40% more in Lufkin, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Lufkin, TX or in Monterrey?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Lufkin, TX at $2,213. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lufkin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Lufkin, TX or Monterrey?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,608 versus $2,213 in Lufkin, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Lufkin, TX or to Monterrey?
If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lufkin, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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