Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Arthur, TX and Monterrey

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.

125

Cost of Living Index in Port Arthur, TX
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Port Arthur, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Port Arthur, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,568

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Arthur, TX and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Arthur, TX and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Port Arthur, TX is roughly 60% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.64 $18.64

$13.85 MX$256

34.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 $73.8

$49.70 MX$918

48.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 $11.12

$11.05 MX$204

0.63%

Cappuccino

$5.20 $5.20

$4.09 MX$75.6

27.14%

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

$2.51 $2.51

$1.68 MX$30.97

49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.03 MX$18.98

89.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.93 $5.93

$2.40 MX$44.28

147.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 $6.89

$4.35 MX$80.3

58.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.92 MX$35.55

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.94 MX$54.2

21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.88 MX$34.66

125.00%

Eggs

$4.04 $4.04

$2.55 MX$47.06

58.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$11.84 MX$219

5.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 $11.22

$9.36 MX$173

19.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.73 $15.73

$13.10 MX$242

20.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.38 MX$62.5

40.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.52 MX$28.13

4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.19 MX$40.51

90.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.36 MX$43.63

101.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.26 MX$41.76

22.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$2.73 MX$50.5

5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.52 MX$28.17

33.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.24 MX$22.90

76.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 $9.33

$4.75 MX$87.8

96.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 $14.26

$13.66 MX$252

4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.89 MX$34.95

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.99 MX$55.2

11.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.85 MX$15.78

141.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.68 MX$30.98

113.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.13 MX$20.87

45.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.95 $28.95

$11.15 MX$206

159.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.56 MX$28.91

-42.31%

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

$29.8K $29.8K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

39.18%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

1.25%

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

$189 $189

$119 MX$2,206

58.29%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$26.21 MX$484

100.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 $68.2

$26.78 MX$495

154.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.58 $42.58

$31.03 MX$573

37.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 $13.44

$5.29 MX$97.7

154.06%

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

$1,320 $1,320

$691 MX$12.8K

90.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K $23.1K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

101.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 $50.9

$72.3 MX$1,335

-29.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.65 $40.65

$42.72 MX$789

-4.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 $85.5

$110 MX$2,024

-21.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$117 MX$2,158

-2.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$970 MX$17.9K

63.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 $1,346

$664 MX$12.3K

102.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,623 $2,623

$1,857 MX$34.3K

41.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 $2,242

$1,287 MX$23.8K

74.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-33.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,486 $2,486

$2,349 MX$43.4K

5.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

11.79

-44.78%

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

Last update for Port Arthur, TX: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Arthur, TX

$1.3K 52.4%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 50.7% $682

Groceries & Markets

Port Arthur, TX

$386 15%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 19.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Arthur, TX

$310 12.1%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 44.4% $137

Eating Out

Port Arthur, TX

$306 11.9%

Monterrey

$225 14% 26.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Port Arthur, TX

$131 5.1%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 17.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Port Arthur, TX

$69 2.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 40.1% $28

Getting Around

Port Arthur, TX

$20 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 109% $22

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

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

Good to know

🇺🇸 Port Arthur, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

07:40 7:40 AM

1 h behind Port Arthur, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,135

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Port Arthur, TX
Monterrey

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

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

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

You'd need roughly $3,852 in Port Arthur, TX and $2,412 in Monterrey 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: $1,582 in Port Arthur, TX versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,320 in Port Arthur, TX versus $691 in Monterrey. 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.