Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and New Braunfels, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,489 in New Braunfels, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
123

Cost of Living Index in New Braunfels, TX
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New Braunfels, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

New Braunfels, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,489 in New Braunfels, TX.

Monterrey $1,607
New Braunfels, TX $2,489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,594 in New Braunfels, TX.

Monterrey $2,512
New Braunfels, TX $3,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $4,698 in New Braunfels, TX.

Monterrey $3,417
New Braunfels, TX $4,698

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 35% less than in New Braunfels, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, New Braunfels, TX 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$253

$14.92 $14.92

-7.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$923

$68.8 $68.8

-27.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$205

$12.05 $12.05

-7.63%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.3

$5.53 $5.53

-26.94%

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

$1.70 MX$31.33

$2.92 $2.92

-41.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.19

$1.78 $1.78

-44.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.27

$5.14 $5.14

-53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.5

$6.05 $6.05

-25.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.36

$0.80 $0.80

140.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.2

$3.11 $3.11

-7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.72

$2.06 $2.06

-5.83%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.97

$2.93 $2.93

-14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$12.20 $12.20

0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$9.64 $9.64

-3.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$12.76 $12.76

2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.2

$6.47 $6.47

-47.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.07

$1.19 $1.19

32.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.51

$3.18 $3.18

-30.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.96

$3.62 $3.62

-32.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.54

$2.38 $2.38

-5.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$3.01 $3.01

-8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.13

$1.78 $1.78

-14.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.19

$1.62 $1.62

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$89.0

$6.40 $6.40

-24.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$250

$13.97 $13.97

-2.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.06

$1.77 $1.77

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.4

$3.79 $3.79

-19.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$584

$151 $151

-78.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.82

$10.12 $10.12

-83.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.20

$1.83 $1.83

-39.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$202

$29.83 $29.83

-63.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.98

$0.89 $0.89

70.79%

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

$21.4K MX$393.0K

$36.4K $36.4K

-41.35%

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

$25.5K MX$468.3K

$25.1K $25.1K

1.53%

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

$120 MX$2,201

$181 $181

-33.76%

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

$27.08 MX$498

$40.56 $40.56

-33.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$491

$54.5 $54.5

-51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$573

$32.74 $32.74

-4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.5

$11.40 $11.40

-54.91%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$745 $745

-7.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$210.1K

$18.4K $18.4K

-37.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,323

$57.1 $57.1

25.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$796

$25.31 $25.31

71.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,062

$84.5 $84.5

32.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,240

$122 $122

-0.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,594 $1,594

-39.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$1,308 $1,308

-48.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$2,329 $2,329

-18.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$2,018 $2,018

-35.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.5K

$2,379 $2,379

74.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.8K

$2,809 $2,809

-13.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$4,399 $4,399

-74.24%

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 4, 2026

Last update for New Braunfels, TX: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

New Braunfels, TX

$1.3K 51.2% 95.2% $638

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

New Braunfels, TX

$337 13.2% 7.7% $24

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

New Braunfels, TX

$278 10.9% 24.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

New Braunfels, TX

$276 10.8% 59% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

New Braunfels, TX

$130 5.1% 17.3% $27

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

New Braunfels, TX

$170 * 6.7% 305% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

New Braunfels, TX

$56 2.2% 34.1% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $1,594 in New Braunfels, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New Braunfels, TX pays 288% 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 $69.0 in New Braunfels, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $337 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 New Braunfels, TX

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

90,403

💱 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 →

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Monterrey New Braunfels, TX 500 km

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Monterrey
New Braunfels, 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 New Braunfels, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and New Braunfels, TX differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $2,489 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 288% lower in New Braunfels, 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 $1,594 in New Braunfels, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $69.0 in New Braunfels, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Monterrey versus $2,489 in New Braunfels, TX – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,489 in New Braunfels, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in New Braunfels, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and New Braunfels, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in New Braunfels, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.