Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Houston, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,711 in Houston, TX, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
132

Cost of Living Index in Houston, TX
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Houston, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Houston, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,711 in Houston, TX.

Monterrey $1,607
Houston, TX $2,711

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,906 in Houston, TX.

Monterrey $2,512
Houston, TX $3,906

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $5,101 in Houston, TX.

Monterrey $3,417
Houston, TX $5,101

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 41% less than in Houston, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Houston, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

$20.57 $20.57

-33.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

$74.3 $74.3

-32.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

$10.26 $10.26

8.48%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

$5.32 $5.32

-24.06%

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

$2.73 $2.73

-37.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

$2.26 $2.26

-56.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

$6.10 $6.10

-60.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$8.18 $8.18

-45.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$0.81 $0.81

137.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$3.28 $3.28

-11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$4.05 $4.05

-52.10%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$3.31 $3.31

-24.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$11.25 $11.25

9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$12.78 $12.78

-27.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$16.23 $16.23

-19.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$4.04 $4.04

-16.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$1.41 $1.41

12.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$3.11 $3.11

-29.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$3.86 $3.86

-36.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$2.21 $2.21

2.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$2.76 $2.76

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$1.84 $1.84

-16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$2.49 $2.49

-49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

$9.56 $9.56

-49.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

$14.44 $14.44

-5.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$2.45 $2.45

-22.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

$3.05 $3.05

0.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

$1.28 $1.28

-37.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

$76.3 $76.3

-58.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

$2.85 $2.85

-43.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

$1.47 $1.47

-25.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

$23.64 $23.64

-53.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$0.96 $0.96

58.33%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

$35.6K $35.6K

-40.03%

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

$27.0K $27.0K

-5.64%

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

$120 MX$2,198

$213 $213

-43.71%

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

$27.08 MX$497

$61.1 $61.1

-55.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$73.6 $73.6

-63.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

$40.98 $40.98

-23.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

$20.54 $20.54

6.86%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

$15.21 $15.21

-66.21%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$2,153 $2,153

-68.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

$22.2K $22.2K

-48.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$49.49 $49.49

45.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$47.52 $47.52

-8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$103 $103

8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$96.2 $96.2

26.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,685 $1,685

-43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$1,403 $1,403

-52.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$3,136 $3,136

-39.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$2,207 $2,207

-40.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

$2,381 $2,381

74.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

$1,855 $1,855

31.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$4,353 $4,353

-73.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.7

75.97%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Houston, TX: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Houston, TX

$1.4K 51.1% 109% $733

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Houston, TX

$374 13.6% 19.6% $61

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Houston, TX

$326 11.9% 45.7% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Houston, TX

$347 12.6% 100% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Houston, TX

$133 4.9% 15.2% $24

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Houston, TX

$92 3.3% 118% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Houston, TX

$71 2.6% 72.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $1,685 in Houston, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Houston, TX pays 284% 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 $74.0 in Houston, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $374 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Houston, TX

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,304,580

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Houston, TX 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Houston, 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 284% lower in Houston, 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $1,685 in Houston, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Houston, TX. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $74.0 in Houston, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,711 in Houston, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Houston, 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 $1,607 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 69% less than in Houston, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.