Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Waco, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,447 in Waco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
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Waco, TX Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,447 in Waco, TX.

Monterrey $1,607
Waco, TX $2,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,090 in Waco, TX.

Monterrey $2,512
Waco, TX $3,090

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $3,734 in Waco, TX.

Monterrey $3,417
Waco, TX $3,734

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 34% less than in Waco, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Waco, TX 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$253

$15.21 $15.21

-9.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$924

$59.0 $59.0

-14.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$205

$12.18 $12.18

-8.62%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.5

$5.39 $5.39

-25.05%

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

$1.70 MX$31.39

$1.77 $1.77

-3.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.22

$1.49 $1.49

-33.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.35

$4.93 $4.93

-51.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.6

$5.52 $5.52

-18.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.42

$0.76 $0.76

152.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.2

$3.16 $3.16

-8.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.78

$2.03 $2.03

-4.43%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.05

$2.78 $2.78

-10.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$227

$12.06 $12.06

1.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$9.70 $9.70

-3.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$241

$11.67 $11.67

12.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.3

$3.83 $3.83

-11.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.12

$1.12 $1.12

41.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.58

$3.86 $3.86

-43.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$45.04

$3.71 $3.71

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.61

$2.27 $2.27

-0.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.5

$2.86 $2.86

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.18

$1.76 $1.76

-13.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$0.99 $0.99

27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$89.2

$8.54 $8.54

-43.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$250

$13.49 $13.49

0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.12

$1.68 $1.68

13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.5

$3.81 $3.81

-19.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.65

$1.54 $1.54

-48.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$585

$40.12 $40.12

-20.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.88

$9.93 $9.93

-83.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.24

$1.90 $1.90

-42.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$202

$59.4 $59.4

-81.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.03

$0.89 $0.89

70.79%

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

$21.4K MX$393.7K

$36.2K $36.2K

-41.00%

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

$25.5K MX$469.1K

$25.0K $25.0K

1.81%

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

$120 MX$2,205

$175 $175

-31.76%

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

$27.08 MX$499

$40.53 $40.53

-33.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$492

$54.7 $54.7

-51.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$574

$27.96 $27.96

11.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.7

$9.07 $9.07

-43.33%

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

$688 MX$12.7K

$747 $747

-7.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$210.5K

$18.2K $18.2K

-37.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,325

$47.91 $47.91

50.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$798

$38.27 $38.27

13.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,065

$85.3 $85.3

31.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,244

$95.4 $95.4

27.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,244 $1,244

-23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$1,328 $1,328

-49.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.8K

$1,541 $1,541

22.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$1,374 $1,374

-5.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.6K

$1,970 $1,970

111.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.9K

$1,955 $1,955

24.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.9K

$3,156 $3,156

-64.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.49

81.66%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Waco, TX: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Waco, TX

$1.3K 55% 98.1% $658

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Waco, TX

$312 12.9% 0% $0

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Waco, TX

$272 11.3% 21.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Waco, TX

$271 11.2% 56% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Waco, TX

$120 5% 23.6% $37

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Waco, TX

$66 2.7% 56.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Waco, TX

$46 1.9% 11.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $1,244 in Waco, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waco, TX pays 179% 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 $59.0 in Waco, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

138,486

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 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 Waco, TX 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Waco, TX differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $2,447 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 179% lower in Waco, 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 $1,244 in Waco, 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 $59.0 in Waco, 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 $2,447 in Waco, TX – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,447 in Waco, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Waco, 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 52% less than in Waco, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.