Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sugar Land, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,251 in Sugar Land, TX, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Sugar Land, TX
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Sugar Land, TX Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Sugar Land, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,251

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,251 in Sugar Land, TX versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Sugar Land, TX $2,251
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,312 in Sugar Land, TX versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Sugar Land, TX $3,312
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,374 in Sugar Land, TX versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Sugar Land, TX $4,374
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Sugar Land, TX is roughly 41% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sugar Land, TX 66% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$13.80 MX$255

47.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 $75.5

$47.99 MX$887

57.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 $10.89

$10.65 MX$197

2.25%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.99 MX$73.7

35.34%

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

$2.63 $2.63

$1.66 MX$30.76

58.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$0.99 MX$18.21

128.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 $5.95

$2.36 MX$43.64

152.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.43 MX$81.8

81.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.82 MX$33.58

-39.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$2.83 MX$52.4

15.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.92 MX$35.44

75.00%

Eggs

$3.92 $3.92

$2.48 MX$45.78

58.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 $11.29

$11.74 MX$217

-3.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.94 $12.94

$9.10 MX$168

42.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 $16.45

$12.53 MX$232

31.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.34 MX$61.6

30.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 MX$29.10

-7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.16 MX$39.86

37.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$2.47 MX$45.65

51.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.31 MX$42.64

-4.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 $2.31

$2.68 MX$49.47

-13.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.46 MX$26.90

23.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.19 MX$22.07

85.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 $9.87

$4.75 MX$87.8

107.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$13.58 MX$251

8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.92 MX$35.52

28.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.88 MX$53.2

4.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.59 MX$29.44

75.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.06 MX$19.58

39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 $24.16

$10.80 MX$200

123.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.55 MX$28.59

-38.71%

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

$34.4K $34.4K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

42.27%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

9.74%

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

$199 $199

$117 MX$2,159

70.23%

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

$58.2 $58.2

$26.38 MX$488

120.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$26.04 MX$481

166.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.17 $40.17

$30.26 MX$559

32.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$13.94 $13.94

$5.23 MX$96.6

166.54%

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

$1,523 $1,523

$673 MX$12.4K

126.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

89.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 $50.1

$72.1 MX$1,332

-30.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.64 $43.64

$42.38 MX$783

2.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 $85.6

$112 MX$2,066

-23.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.6 $94.6

$119 MX$2,200

-20.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 $1,363

$949 MX$17.5K

43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 $1,022

$666 MX$12.3K

53.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,061 $2,061

$1,821 MX$33.7K

13.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,667 $1,667

$1,271 MX$23.5K

31.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,842 $1,842

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-54.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,873 $1,873

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-20.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,203 $7,203

$1,155 MX$21.3K

523.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

11.79

-43.17%

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

Last update for Sugar Land, TX: October 17, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sugar Land, TX

$1K 45.4%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 34.8% $356

Groceries & Markets

Sugar Land, TX

$375 16.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 18.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sugar Land, TX

$327 14.5%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 48.2% $157

Eating Out

Sugar Land, TX

$326 14.5%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 32% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Sugar Land, TX

$123 5.5%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 26.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sugar Land, TX

$68 3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 40.2% $27

Getting Around

Sugar Land, TX

$10 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 307% $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 $1,363 in Sugar Land, TX and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sugar Land, TX pays 524% 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: $76.0 in Sugar Land, TX vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Sugar Land, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h behind Sugar Land, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,943

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Sugar Land, TX Monterrey 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sugar Land, 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

Sugar Land, TX vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sugar Land, TX and Monterrey differ by about 41% in total monthly costs ($2,251 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 524% higher in Sugar Land, 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: $1,363 in Sugar Land, TX versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,523 in Sugar Land, TX versus $673 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 $48.00 versus $76.0 in Sugar Land, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,251 in Sugar Land, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Sugar Land, 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 41% less than in Sugar Land, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.