Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Round Rock, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,319 in Round Rock, TX, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Round Rock, TX
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Round Rock, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Round Rock, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,319

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,319 in Round Rock, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

Round Rock, TX $2,319
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Round Rock, TX versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

Round Rock, TX $3,459
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,598 in Round Rock, TX versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

Round Rock, TX $4,598
Monterrey $3,433

Living in Round Rock, TX is roughly 44% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Round Rock, TX 72% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.38 $20.38

$13.85 MX$256

47.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 $81.1

$49.70 MX$918

63.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$11.05 MX$204

9.68%

Cappuccino

$5.85 $5.85

$4.09 MX$75.6

43.03%

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

$2.91 $2.91

$1.68 MX$30.97

73.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.03 MX$18.98

135.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.17 $8.17

$2.40 MX$44.28

240.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.25 $9.25

$4.35 MX$80.3

112.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.92 MX$35.55

-39.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.94 MX$54.2

22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.88 MX$34.66

73.94%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$2.55 MX$47.06

45.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.20 $13.20

$11.84 MX$219

11.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.05 $14.05

$9.36 MX$173

50.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.20 $16.20

$13.10 MX$242

23.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$3.38 MX$62.5

31.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.52 MX$28.13

4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.19 MX$40.51

107.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.36 MX$43.63

79.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.26 MX$41.76

11.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$2.73 MX$50.5

-17.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.52 MX$28.17

17.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.24 MX$22.90

70.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.34 $9.34

$4.75 MX$87.8

96.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 $15.07

$13.66 MX$252

10.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.89 MX$34.95

10.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 $3.22

$2.99 MX$55.2

7.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.68 MX$30.98

65.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.13 MX$20.87

39.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.55 $23.55

$11.15 MX$206

111.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.56 MX$28.91

-39.74%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

67.21%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

2.00%

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

$222 $222

$119 MX$2,206

85.60%

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

$59.0 $59.0

$26.21 MX$484

124.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 $68.6

$26.78 MX$495

156.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 $48.38

$31.03 MX$573

55.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 $14.16

$5.29 MX$97.7

167.67%

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

$1,490 $1,490

$691 MX$12.8K

115.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

87.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 $59.5

$72.3 MX$1,335

-17.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.86 $42.86

$42.72 MX$789

0.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 $87.8

$110 MX$2,024

-19.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$117 MX$2,158

-9.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 $1,185

$970 MX$17.9K

22.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 $1,003

$664 MX$12.3K

51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 $1,799

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 $1,704

$1,287 MX$23.8K

32.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,733 $2,733

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-34.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,789 $2,789

$2,349 MX$43.4K

18.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,652 $4,652

$1,146 MX$21.2K

305.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

11.79

-43.60%

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

Last update for Round Rock, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Round Rock, TX

$1K 43.2%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 33.8% $339

Groceries & Markets

Round Rock, TX

$397 17.1%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 21.7% $86

Eating Out

Round Rock, TX

$350 15.1%

Monterrey

$225 14% 35.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Round Rock, TX

$349 15.1%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 50.6% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Round Rock, TX

$133 5.7%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 15.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Round Rock, TX

$77 3.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 45.7% $35

Getting Around

Round Rock, TX

$11 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 290% $31

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 $1,185 in Round Rock, TX and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Round Rock, TX pays 306% 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: $81.0 in Round Rock, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $397 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Round Rock, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

00:23 12:23 AM

1 h behind Round Rock, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,468

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Round Rock, TX Monterrey 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Round Rock, 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

Round Rock, TX vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Round Rock, TX and Monterrey differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,319 vs $1,608 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 306% higher in Round Rock, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,185 in Round Rock, TX versus $970 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,490 in Round Rock, 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 $81.0 in Round Rock, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,319 in Round Rock, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Round Rock, 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 44% less than in Round Rock, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.