Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and College Station, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,108 in College Station, TX, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
103

Cost of Living Index in College Station, TX
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College Station, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

College Station, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,108 in College Station, TX.

Monterrey $1,608
College Station, TX $2,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,162 in College Station, TX.

Monterrey $2,521
College Station, TX $3,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,216 in College Station, TX.

Monterrey $3,433
College Station, TX $4,216

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 24% less than in College Station, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, College Station, TX 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$15.08 $15.08

-8.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$76.5 $76.5

-35.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$12.24 $12.24

-9.72%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.39 $5.39

-24.12%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.84 $2.84

-40.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.76 $1.76

-41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$5.14 $5.14

-53.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$7.63 $7.63

-42.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.76 $0.76

152.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.33 $3.33

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$3.90 $3.90

-51.79%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.88 $2.88

-11.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$12.11 $12.11

-2.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.47 $9.47

-1.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$13.17 $13.17

-0.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$6.37 $6.37

-46.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.54 $1.54

-1.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$6.48 $6.48

-66.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$4.84 $4.84

-51.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$4.07 $4.07

-44.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.92 $2.92

-6.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.76 $1.76

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.80 $1.80

-31.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$8.80 $8.80

-46.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.12 $14.12

-3.26%

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

$3.91 $3.91

-23.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.02 $1.02

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$20.08 $20.08

54.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$10.13 $10.13

-83.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.84 $1.84

-38.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$59.6 $59.6

-81.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.91 $0.91

71.43%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$36.6K $36.6K

-41.51%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.0K $25.0K

0.17%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$175 $175

-31.92%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$39.25 $39.25

-33.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$55.6 $55.6

-51.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$25.63 $25.63

21.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$17.43 $17.43

22.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$11.57 $11.57

-54.28%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$747 $747

-7.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$17.7K $17.7K

-35.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$60.1 $60.1

20.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$38.42 $38.42

11.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$83.8 $83.8

30.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$123 $123

-5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,128 $1,128

-14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$952 $952

-30.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,951 $1,951

-4.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,595 $1,595

-19.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,161 $2,161

92.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,178 $2,178

7.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$4,241 $4,241

-72.97%

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 College Station, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

College Station, TX

$952 45.2% 43.5% $289

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

College Station, TX

$374 17.8% 20.5% $64

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

College Station, TX

$281 13.4% 25.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

College Station, TX

$270 12.8% 56.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

College Station, TX

$138 6.5% 10.4% $16

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

College Station, TX

$43 2.1% 4.3% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

College Station, TX

$49 2.3% 17.2% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $1,128 in College Station, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 270% 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 $77.0 in College Station, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $374 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 College Station, TX

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

120,511

💱 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 College Station, TX 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
College Station, 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 College Station, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in College Station, 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 270% lower in College Station, 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 $1,128 in College Station, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 54% less than in College Station, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $747 in College Station, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,108 in College Station, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in College Station, 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 31% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.