Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Lufkin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,213 in Lufkin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lufkin, TX
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Lufkin, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Lufkin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $2,213 in Lufkin, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Lufkin, TX $2,213

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $3,585 in Lufkin, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Lufkin, TX $3,585

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $4,957 in Lufkin, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Lufkin, TX $4,957

Monterrey is about 27% cheaper than Lufkin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Lufkin, TX sit above the global median – Monterrey by 19%, Lufkin, TX by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$19.93 $19.93

-30.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$77.4 $77.4

-35.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$10.14 $10.14

8.97%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.73 $5.73

-28.62%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.57 $2.57

-34.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$2.25 $2.25

-54.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$7.07 $7.07

-66.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$7.53 $7.53

-42.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.01 $1.01

90.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.13 $3.13

-6.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$4.09 $4.09

-54.03%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$5.84 $5.84

-56.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$22.89 $22.89

-48.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$11.87 $11.87

-21.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$19.48 $19.48

-32.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.61 $4.61

-26.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.57 $1.57

-3.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$2.64 $2.64

-17.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$2.99 $2.99

-21.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$2.82 $2.82

-19.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.49 $2.49

9.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.95 $1.95

-22.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.84 $2.84

-56.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.40 $9.40

-49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$19.61 $19.61

-30.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.70 $1.70

11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.35 $3.35

-10.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$2.08 $2.08

-59.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$3.03 $3.03

-44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.74 $1.74

-35.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$32.66 $32.66

-65.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.89 $0.89

75.28%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$36.2K $36.2K

-40.89%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.8K $25.8K

-2.90%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$204 $204

-41.51%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$47.45 $47.45

-44.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$54.0 $54.0

-50.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$39.60 $39.60

-21.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$15.09 $15.09

-64.94%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,340 $1,340

-48.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$25.4K $25.4K

-54.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$60.2 $60.2

20.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$37.72 $37.72

13.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$86.4 $86.4

26.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$68.0 $68.0

71.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,148 $1,148

-15.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$941 $941

-29.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$2,516 $2,516

-26.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$2,123 $2,123

-39.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,898 $2,898

43.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,098 $2,098

11.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.51

81.11%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lufkin, TX: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Lufkin, TX

$941 42.5% 41.8% $277

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Lufkin, TX

$435 19.7% 40.2% $125

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Lufkin, TX

$328 14.8% 46.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Lufkin, TX

$306 13.8% 77.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Lufkin, TX

$114 5.1% 26.1% $40

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Lufkin, TX

$20 * 0.9% 52% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Lufkin, TX

$70 3.2% 67.7% $28

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 $1,148 in Lufkin, TX. 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 $77.0 in Lufkin, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $435 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Lufkin, TX

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

09:18 9:18 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

36,085

💱 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 Lufkin, TX 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Lufkin, TX costs about 38% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $3,320 in Lufkin, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey and $77.0 in Lufkin, TX. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Lufkin, 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 $1,608, than in Lufkin, TX at $2,213. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lufkin, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,608 versus $2,213 in Lufkin, 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, Lufkin, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.