Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Port Arthur, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,568 in Port Arthur, TX, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Port Arthur, TX
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Port Arthur, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Port Arthur, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,568 in Port Arthur, TX.

Monterrey $1,608
Port Arthur, TX $2,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,758 in Port Arthur, TX.

Monterrey $2,521
Port Arthur, TX $3,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,949 in Port Arthur, TX.

Monterrey $3,433
Port Arthur, TX $4,949

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 37% less than in Port Arthur, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Port Arthur, TX 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$18.64 $18.64

-25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$73.8 $73.8

-32.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$11.12 $11.12

-0.63%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.20 $5.20

-21.35%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.51 $2.51

-33.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.95 $1.95

-47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$5.93 $5.93

-59.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.89 $6.89

-36.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.99 $0.99

93.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.58 $3.58

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$4.23 $4.23

-55.56%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$4.04 $4.04

-36.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$12.47 $12.47

-5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$11.22 $11.22

-16.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$15.73 $15.73

-16.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.76 $4.76

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.59 $1.59

-4.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$4.17 $4.17

-47.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$4.75 $4.75

-50.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$2.77 $2.77

-18.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.87 $2.87

-4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$2.03 $2.03

-25.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.19 $2.19

-43.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.33 $9.33

-49.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.26 $14.26

-4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.80 $1.80

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.33 $3.33

-10.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$2.05 $2.05

-58.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$3.58 $3.58

-53.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.64 $1.64

-31.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$28.95 $28.95

-61.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.90 $0.90

73.33%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$29.8K $29.8K

-28.15%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.4K $25.4K

-1.23%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$189 $189

-36.82%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$52.6 $52.6

-50.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$68.2 $68.2

-60.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$42.58 $42.58

-27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$13.44 $13.44

-60.64%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,320 $1,320

-47.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$23.1K $23.1K

-50.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$50.9 $50.9

41.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$40.65 $40.65

5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$85.5 $85.5

28.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$114 $114

2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,582 $1,582

-38.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$1,346 $1,346

-50.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$2,623 $2,623

-29.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$2,242 $2,242

-42.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,777 $2,777

49.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,486 $2,486

-5.51%

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 Port Arthur, TX: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Port Arthur, TX

$1.3K 52.4% 103% $682

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Port Arthur, TX

$386 15% 24.3% $75

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Port Arthur, TX

$306 11.9% 36.3% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Port Arthur, TX

$310 12.1% 79.7% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Port Arthur, TX

$131 5.1% 14.8% $23

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Port Arthur, TX

$20 * 0.8% 52.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Port Arthur, TX

$69 2.7% 66.9% $28

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 $970 in Monterrey and $1,582 in Port Arthur, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $74.0 in Port Arthur, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $386 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Port Arthur, TX

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

54,135

💱 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 Port Arthur, TX 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Port Arthur, 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 Port Arthur, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Port Arthur, TX differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $2,568 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $3,852 in Port Arthur, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $1,582 in Port Arthur, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $1,320 in Port Arthur, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,568 in Port Arthur, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Port Arthur, 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Port Arthur, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.