Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Texas City, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,965 in Texas City, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Texas City, TX
Learn more

Texas City, TX Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Texas City, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,965

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,965 in Texas City, TX versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Texas City, TX $1,965
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,877 in Texas City, TX versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Texas City, TX $2,877
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Texas City, TX versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Texas City, TX $3,788
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Texas City, TX is roughly 23% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Texas City, TX 45% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.03 $18.03

$13.80 MX$255

30.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 $74.8

$47.99 MX$887

55.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.94 $9.94

$10.65 MX$197

-6.67%

Cappuccino

$4.15 $4.15

$3.99 MX$73.7

4.01%

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

$1.33 $1.33

$1.66 MX$30.76

-19.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.99 MX$18.21

98.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.97 $5.97

$2.36 MX$43.64

152.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$4.43 MX$81.8

61.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.82 MX$33.58

-60.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.83 MX$52.4

-5.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.92 MX$35.44

67.19%

Eggs

$3.91 $3.91

$2.48 MX$45.78

57.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.68 $6.68

$11.74 MX$217

-43.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$9.10 MX$168

56.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$12.53 MX$232

-15.16%

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)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.16 MX$39.86

101.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.47 MX$45.65

76.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.31 MX$42.64

10.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$2.68 MX$49.47

-14.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.46 MX$26.90

21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.19 MX$22.07

84.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 $8.17

$4.75 MX$87.8

72.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$13.58 MX$251

-27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.93 $2.93

$1.92 MX$35.52

52.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 $3.30

$2.88 MX$53.2

14.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.79 MX$14.66

24.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.06 $40.06

$31.36 MX$579

27.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 $2.81

$1.59 MX$29.44

76.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.06 MX$19.58

50.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 $19.83

$10.80 MX$200

83.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.55 MX$28.59

-47.10%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

41.45%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

8.20%

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

$223 $223

$117 MX$2,159

90.49%

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

$25.31 $25.31

$26.38 MX$488

-4.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$26.04 MX$481

166.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.86 $14.86

$30.26 MX$559

-50.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$14.16 $14.16

$5.23 MX$96.6

170.75%

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

$1,224 $1,224

$673 MX$12.4K

81.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K $21.0K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

89.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 $53.1

$72.1 MX$1,332

-26.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.70 $42.70

$42.38 MX$783

0.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 $63.8

$112 MX$2,066

-42.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$119 MX$2,200

-14.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 $1,072

$949 MX$17.5K

12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 $809

$666 MX$12.3K

21.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 $1,671

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 $1,263

$1,271 MX$23.5K

-0.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,114 $9,114

$4,050 MX$74.8K

125.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,687 $7,687

$2,348 MX$43.4K

227.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,708 $4,708

$1,155 MX$21.3K

307.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

11.79

-44.61%

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

Last update for Texas City, TX: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Texas City, TX

$809 41.2%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 17.6% $143

Groceries & Markets

Texas City, TX

$342 17.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 10.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Texas City, TX

$317 16.1%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 46.6% $148

Eating Out

Texas City, TX

$281 14.3%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 21.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Texas City, TX

$118 6%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 31.9% $38

Getting Around

Texas City, TX

$55 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 24.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Texas City, TX

$43 2.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 5.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,072 in Texas City, TX and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Texas City, TX pays 308% 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: $75.0 in Texas City, TX vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Texas City, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

11:47 11:47 AM

1 h behind Texas City, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,099

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Texas City, TX Monterrey 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Texas City, 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

Texas City, TX vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Texas City, TX and Monterrey differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,965 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 308% higher in Texas City, 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: $1,072 in Texas City, TX versus $949 in Monterrey. 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 $48.00 versus $75.0 in Texas City, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,965 per month in Texas City, TX versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,965 in Texas City, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Texas City, 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 23% less than in Texas City, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.