Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between McKinney, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,789 in McKinney, TX, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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McKinney, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,789

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,789 in McKinney, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

McKinney, TX $2,789
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,710 in McKinney, TX versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

McKinney, TX $3,710
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,630 in McKinney, TX versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

McKinney, TX $4,630
Monterrey $3,433

Living in McKinney, TX is roughly 73% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: McKinney, TX 107% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.90 $18.90

$13.85 MX$256

36.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$49.70 MX$918

18.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.05 MX$204

-2.17%

Cappuccino

$5.05 $5.05

$4.09 MX$75.6

23.47%

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

$2.56 $2.56

$1.68 MX$30.97

52.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.03 MX$18.98

73.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 $5.86

$2.40 MX$44.28

144.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$4.35 MX$80.3

74.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.92 MX$35.55

-50.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.94 MX$54.2

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$1.88 MX$34.66

23.40%

Eggs

$4.09 $4.09

$2.55 MX$47.06

60.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 $10.16

$11.84 MX$219

-14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.51 $15.51

$9.36 MX$173

65.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.84 $16.84

$13.10 MX$242

28.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.38 MX$62.5

-9.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.52 MX$28.13

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.19 MX$40.51

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.36 MX$43.63

11.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.26 MX$41.76

-3.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.73 MX$50.5

-23.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.52 MX$28.17

13.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.24 MX$22.90

140.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.05 $11.05

$4.75 MX$87.8

132.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 $11.47

$13.66 MX$252

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.89 MX$34.95

-7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 $3.59

$2.99 MX$55.2

20.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 $3.08

$0.85 MX$15.78

262.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$189 $189

$30.95 MX$572

510.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.68 MX$30.98

74.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 $14.74

$11.15 MX$206

32.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.56 MX$28.91

-40.38%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

68.31%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-1.26%

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

$200 $200

$119 MX$2,206

67.90%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$26.21 MX$484

126.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$26.78 MX$495

158.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 $30.36

$31.03 MX$573

-2.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 $12.81

$21.43 MX$396

-40.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 $11.85

$5.29 MX$97.7

124.01%

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

$1,345 $1,345

$691 MX$12.8K

94.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$72.3 MX$1,335

-21.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.95 $28.95

$42.72 MX$789

-32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$110 MX$2,024

-19.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 $59.8

$117 MX$2,158

-48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 $1,673

$970 MX$17.9K

72.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 $1,420

$664 MX$12.3K

113.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 $2,639

$1,857 MX$34.3K

42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,287 MX$23.8K

32.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 $2,323

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-44.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-2.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,805 $5,805

$1,146 MX$21.2K

406.37%

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 McKinney, 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

McKinney, TX

$1.4K 50.9%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 53.2% $756

Groceries & Markets

McKinney, TX

$371 13.3%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 16.3% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

McKinney, TX

$329 11.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 47.6% $157

Eating Out

McKinney, TX

$306 11%

Monterrey

$225 14% 26.6% $82

Getting Around

McKinney, TX

$204 * 7.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 79.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

McKinney, TX

$105 3.8%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 46.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

McKinney, TX

$54 1.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 23% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,673 in McKinney, TX and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McKinney, TX pays 406% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in McKinney, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 McKinney, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

13:44 1:44 PM

1 h behind McKinney, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

202,690

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

McKinney, TX Monterrey 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

McKinney, 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

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

McKinney, TX and Monterrey differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($2,789 vs $1,608 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 406% higher in McKinney, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,673 in McKinney, TX versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,789 per month in McKinney, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 510% less than in McKinney, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,789 in McKinney, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in McKinney, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in McKinney, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.