Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Austin, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,462 in Austin, MN, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Austin, MN
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Austin, MN Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Austin, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Austin, MN

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 Austin, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $2,462 in Austin, MN, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Austin, MN $2,462

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $3,691 in Austin, MN, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Austin, MN $3,691

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $4,921 in Austin, MN, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Austin, MN $4,921

Monterrey is about 35% cheaper than Austin, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Austin, MN sit above the global median – Monterrey by 19%, Austin, MN by 82%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$20.05 $20.05

-30.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$99.6 $99.6

-50.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$12.22 $12.22

-9.57%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.04 $5.04

-18.85%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.95 $2.95

-43.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.99 $1.99

-48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$5.11 $5.11

-53.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$5.80 $5.80

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.83 $0.83

131.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.88 $2.88

2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$1.91 $1.91

-1.57%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.66 $2.66

-4.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$9.65 $9.65

22.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$6.48 $6.48

44.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$19.15 $19.15

-31.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$5.19 $5.19

-34.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.24 $1.24

22.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$3.59 $3.59

-39.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$1.74 $1.74

35.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$2.55 $2.55

-11.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.23 $2.23

22.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.51 $1.51

0.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.98 $1.98

-37.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.71 $8.71

-45.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$3.03 $3.03

350.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.77 $1.77

6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.02 $3.02

-0.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.96 $1.96

-56.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.02 $2.02

-16.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.27 $1.27

-11.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$20.06 $20.06

-44.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.95 $0.95

64.21%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$35.4K $35.4K

-39.57%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$24.5K $24.5K

2.43%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$187 $187

-36.03%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$52.3 $52.3

-49.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$79.3 $79.3

-66.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$35.93 $35.93

-13.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$15.30 $15.30

-65.42%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,361 $1,361

-49.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$11.6K $11.6K

-1.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$77.5 $77.5

-6.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$54.0 $54.0

-20.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$102 $102

7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$165 $165

-29.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,433 $1,433

-32.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$1,274 $1,274

-47.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$2,528 $2,528

-26.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$2,157 $2,157

-40.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,481 $2,481

67.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,593 $2,593

-9.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.57

79.45%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Austin, MN: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Austin, MN

$1.3K 51.8% 91.9% $610

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Austin, MN

$293 11.9% 5.5% $17

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Austin, MN

$314 12.8% 40% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Austin, MN

$318 12.9% 84.6% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Austin, MN

$179 7.3% 16.6% $25

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Austin, MN

$16 * 0.7% 61.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Austin, MN

$67 2.7% 59.9% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey versus $1,433 in Austin, MN. 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 $50.0 in Monterrey versus $100 in Austin, MN. Groceries tell a different story – $310 in Monterrey vs $293 in Austin, MN – so Austin, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Austin, MN

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

974,447

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Austin, MN 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Austin, MN

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 Austin, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Austin, MN is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $3,692 in Austin, MN. 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 $1,608 in Monterrey and $2,462 in Austin, MN. That's a gap of about 53%.

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Monterrey and $1,361 in Austin, MN. 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 $1,608, than in Austin, MN at $2,462. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, MN 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, Austin, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.