Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Garland, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,590 in Garland, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Garland, TX
Learn more

Garland, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Garland, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,607 per month in Monterrey vs $2,590 in Garland, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $1,607
Garland, TX $2,590

A couple spends around $2,512 per month in Monterrey vs $3,751 in Garland, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $2,512
Garland, TX $3,751

A family of three spends $3,417 per month in Monterrey vs $4,912 in Garland, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $3,417
Garland, TX $4,912

Monterrey is about 38% cheaper than Garland, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Garland, TX sit above the global median – Monterrey by 20%, Garland, TX by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$253

$19.79 $19.79

-30.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$923

$54.4 $54.4

-7.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$205

$10.02 $10.02

11.08%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.3

$5.68 $5.68

-28.87%

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

$1.70 MX$31.33

$2.62 $2.62

-35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.19

$2.33 $2.33

-57.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.27

$5.53 $5.53

-56.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.5

$7.40 $7.40

-39.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.36

$0.92 $0.92

108.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.2

$3.80 $3.80

-23.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.72

$5.32 $5.32

-63.53%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.97

$4.53 $4.53

-44.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$7.87 $7.87

56.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$11.68 $11.68

-20.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$19.34 $19.34

-32.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.2

$5.31 $5.31

-36.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.07

$1.24 $1.24

27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.51

$5.23 $5.23

-57.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.96

$4.40 $4.40

-44.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.54

$2.07 $2.07

9.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$2.08 $2.08

31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.13

$2.13 $2.13

-28.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.19

$1.45 $1.45

-13.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$89.0

$9.64 $9.64

-49.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$250

$10.90 $10.90

24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.06

$2.02 $2.02

-5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.4

$3.26 $3.26

-6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.62

$2.95 $2.95

-72.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$584

$96.7 $96.7

-67.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.82

$2.98 $2.98

-45.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.20

$1.72 $1.72

-36.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$202

$24.18 $24.18

-54.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.98

$0.97 $0.97

56.70%

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

$21.4K MX$393.0K

$36.4K $36.4K

-41.34%

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

$25.5K MX$468.3K

$26.0K $26.0K

-2.15%

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

$120 MX$2,201

$202 $202

-40.87%

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

$27.08 MX$498

$54.2 $54.2

-50.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$491

$80.7 $80.7

-66.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$573

$39.85 $39.85

-21.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

$16.24 $16.24

35.16%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.5

$15.13 $15.13

-66.03%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$1,341 $1,341

-48.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$210.1K

$28.6K $28.6K

-60.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,323

$60.2 $60.2

19.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$796

$29.52 $29.52

46.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,062

$84.7 $84.7

32.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,240

$120 $120

1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,518 $1,518

-36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$1,276 $1,276

-47.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$2,344 $2,344

-19.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$2,077 $2,077

-37.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.5K

$3,256 $3,256

27.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.8K

$1,953 $1,953

24.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$3,710 $3,710

-69.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.62

78.10%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Garland, TX: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Garland, TX

$1.3K 48.5% 90.4% $606

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Garland, TX

$378 14.4% 21% $66

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Garland, TX

$319 12.1% 42.5% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Garland, TX

$337 12.8% 94.4% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Garland, TX

$133 5% 15.7% $25

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Garland, TX

$120 4.6% 185% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Garland, TX

$70 2.7% 69.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Monterrey versus $1,518 in Garland, TX. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 227% higher in Garland, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey versus $54.0 in Garland, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $378 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Garland, TX

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

242,035

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.85 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.61 MXN (100 MXN = 4.85 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Garland, TX 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Garland, 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 Garland, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey, $2,590 in Garland, TX – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,411 per month in Monterrey and $3,885 in Garland, TX. 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.

Kindergarten costs $688 per month in Monterrey and $1,341 in Garland, TX. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Garland, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Garland, TX at $2,590. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Garland, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,607 in Monterrey to $2,590 in Garland, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Garland, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.