Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Laredo, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,952 in Laredo, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Laredo, TX
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Laredo, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Laredo, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $1,952 in Laredo, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Laredo, TX $1,952

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $2,975 in Laredo, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Laredo, TX $2,975

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $3,999 in Laredo, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Laredo, TX $3,999

Monterrey is about 18% cheaper than Laredo, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Monterrey and Laredo, TX sit above the global median – Monterrey by 19%, Laredo, TX by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$17.70 $17.70

-21.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$69.5 $69.5

-28.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$7.78 $7.78

42.03%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.11 $5.11

-19.96%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.20 $2.20

-23.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.68 $1.68

-38.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$3.98 $3.98

-39.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$5.98 $5.98

-27.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.97 $0.97

97.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$1.93 $1.93

52.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$2.79 $2.79

-32.62%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$3.82 $3.82

-33.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$8.95 $8.95

32.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.81 $9.81

-4.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$12.98 $12.98

0.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.87 $4.87

-30.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.60 $1.60

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$4.42 $4.42

-50.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$3.25 $3.25

-27.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$2.52 $2.52

-10.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.15 $2.15

26.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.94 $1.94

-21.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.72 $1.72

-27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.47 $9.47

-49.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$13.14 $13.14

3.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.76 $1.76

7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.53 $3.53

-15.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$0.99 $0.99

-14.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$19.84 $19.84

56.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$3.60 $3.60

-53.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.77 $1.77

-36.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$24.09 $24.09

-53.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.82 $0.82

90.24%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$24.7K $24.7K

-13.12%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.4K $25.4K

-1.17%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$215 $215

-44.50%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$63.1 $63.1

-58.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$65.0 $65.0

-58.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$38.94 $38.94

-20.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

$19.83 $19.83

8.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$14.51 $14.51

-63.54%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$352 $352

96.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$18.9K $18.9K

-39.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$45.38 $45.38

59.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$20.32 $20.32

110.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$69.4 $69.4

57.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$119 $119

-2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,209 $1,209

-19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$796 $796

-16.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,286 $1,286

44.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,465 $1,465

-12.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,727 $1,727

140.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,725 $1,725

36.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,151 $3,151

-63.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.44

83.07%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Laredo, TX: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Laredo, TX

$796 40.8% 19.9% $132

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Laredo, TX

$321 16.4% 3.2% $10

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Laredo, TX

$274 14% 21.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Laredo, TX

$343 17.6% 99.1% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Laredo, TX

$115 5.9% 25.4% $39

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Laredo, TX

$36 1.9% 13.1% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Laredo, TX

$68 3.5% 63.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey versus $1,209 in Laredo, 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 175% higher in Laredo, 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 $69.0 in Laredo, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $321 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Laredo, TX

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

255,205

💱 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 →

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Monterrey Laredo, TX 220 km

From you

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

Laredo, TX costs about 21% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $2,928 in Laredo, 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Monterrey and $1,952 in Laredo, TX. That's a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Laredo, TX at $1,952. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Laredo, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,608 versus $1,952 in Laredo, TX. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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