Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Arlington, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,439 in Arlington, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, TX
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Arlington, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arlington, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Arlington, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monterrey and in Arlington, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,439 in Arlington, TX.

Monterrey $1,608
Arlington, TX $2,439

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,647 in Arlington, TX.

Monterrey $2,521
Arlington, TX $3,647

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,855 in Arlington, TX.

Monterrey $3,433
Arlington, TX $4,855

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 34% less than in Arlington, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Arlington, TX 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$20.39 $20.39

-32.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$55.3 $55.3

-10.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$10.11 $10.11

9.30%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$4.86 $4.86

-15.84%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.56 $2.56

-34.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$2.29 $2.29

-55.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$5.38 $5.38

-55.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.68 $6.68

-34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.78 $0.78

146.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.64 $3.64

-19.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$5.26 $5.26

-64.26%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.67 $2.67

-4.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$10.60 $10.60

11.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$13.10 $13.10

-28.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$18.02 $18.02

-27.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.44 $4.44

-23.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.66 $2.66

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$5.12 $5.12

-57.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$4.02 $4.02

-41.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$2.53 $2.53

-10.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.98 $2.98

-8.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.90 $1.90

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.06 $2.06

-39.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.52 $9.52

-50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$12.03 $12.03

13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$2.01 $2.01

-5.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.36 $3.36

-11.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$6.09 $6.09

-86.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$40.51 $40.51

-23.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.93 $2.93

-42.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.70 $1.70

-33.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$23.81 $23.81

-53.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.94 $0.94

65.96%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$35.8K $35.8K

-40.16%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.7K $25.7K

-2.55%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$211 $211

-43.40%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$66.4 $66.4

-60.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$64.1 $64.1

-58.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$40.87 $40.87

-24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$14.74 $14.74

-64.11%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,332 $1,332

-48.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$28.4K $28.4K

-59.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$61.6 $61.6

17.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$51.0 $51.0

-16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$84.9 $84.9

29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$102 $102

14.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,536 $1,536

-36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$1,112 $1,112

-40.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$2,533 $2,533

-26.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$2,031 $2,031

-36.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,173 $2,173

91.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,217 $2,217

5.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,699 $3,699

-69.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.51

81.11%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arlington, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Arlington, TX

$1.1K 45.6% 67.6% $448

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Arlington, TX

$393 16.1% 26.5% $82

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Arlington, TX

$311 12.8% 38.6% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Arlington, TX

$341 14% 98.1% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Arlington, TX

$135 5.5% 12.4% $19

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Arlington, TX

$76 3.1% 83% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Arlington, TX

$70 2.9% 69.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $1,536 in Arlington, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, TX pays 223% 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: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $55.0 in Arlington, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $393 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Arlington, TX

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

365,438

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Arlington, TX 840 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Arlington, TX

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

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Arlington, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 223% lower in Arlington, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $1,536 in Arlington, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $2,439 in Arlington, TX – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 31% less than in Arlington, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,439 in Arlington, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Arlington, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Arlington, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.