Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Woodlands, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in The Woodlands, TX
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The Woodlands, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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The Woodlands, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$3,121

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey.

The Woodlands, TX $3,121
Monterrey $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,188 in The Woodlands, TX versus $2,521 in Monterrey.

The Woodlands, TX $4,188
Monterrey $2,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,254 in The Woodlands, TX versus $3,433 in Monterrey.

The Woodlands, TX $5,254
Monterrey $3,433

Living in The Woodlands, TX is roughly 94% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: The Woodlands, TX 131% above, Monterrey 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 $20.12

$13.85 MX$256

45.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 $95.4

$49.70 MX$918

91.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 $10.70

$11.05 MX$204

-3.17%

Cappuccino

$4.49 $4.49

$4.09 MX$75.6

9.78%

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

$2.54 $2.54

$1.68 MX$30.97

51.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.03 MX$18.98

80.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.40 MX$44.28

108.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.35 MX$80.3

26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.92 MX$35.55

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.94 MX$54.2

-22.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.88 MX$34.66

68.09%

Eggs

$2.29 $2.29

$2.55 MX$47.06

-10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 $8.68

$11.84 MX$219

-26.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.49 $14.49

$9.36 MX$173

54.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.02 $26.02

$13.10 MX$242

98.63%

Apples (1kg)

$7.58 $7.58

$3.38 MX$62.5

124.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.52 MX$28.13

-34.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$2.19 MX$40.51

241.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.65 $7.65

$2.36 MX$43.63

224.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$2.26 MX$41.76

43.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.73 MX$50.5

-17.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.52 MX$28.17

-11.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.24 MX$22.90

147.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.75 MX$87.8

23.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 $11.46

$13.66 MX$252

-16.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.89 MX$34.95

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.99 MX$55.2

-50.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 $14.80

$11.15 MX$206

32.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.56 MX$28.91

-47.44%

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

$47.7K $47.7K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

122.83%

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

$24.7K $24.7K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-1.30%

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

$198 $198

$119 MX$2,206

65.93%

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

$58.4 $58.4

$26.21 MX$484

122.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.74 $49.74

$26.78 MX$495

85.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.63 $35.63

$31.03 MX$573

14.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$18.13 $18.13

$5.29 MX$97.7

242.72%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.84 $37.84

$72.3 MX$1,335

-47.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.87 $19.87

$42.72 MX$789

-53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.6 $62.6

$110 MX$2,024

-42.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.1 $66.1

$117 MX$2,158

-43.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 $1,877

$970 MX$17.9K

93.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 $1,921

$664 MX$12.3K

189.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,035 $3,035

$1,857 MX$34.3K

63.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,451 $2,451

$1,287 MX$23.8K

90.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,837 $1,837

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-55.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-20.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,834 $7,834

$1,146 MX$21.2K

583.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.71

11.79

-43.09%

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

Last update for The Woodlands, TX: October 11, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

The Woodlands, TX

$1.9K 61.6%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 65.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

The Woodlands, TX

$437 14%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 28.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Woodlands, TX

$306 9.8%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 43.7% $134

Eating Out

The Woodlands, TX

$301 9.6%

Monterrey

$225 14% 25.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

The Woodlands, TX

$84 2.7%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 83.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

The Woodlands, TX

$72 2.3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 42.1% $30

Getting Around

The Woodlands, TX

- * 0%

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

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 $1,877 in The Woodlands, TX and $970 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

The Woodlands, TX pays 583% 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: $95.0 in The Woodlands, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $437 vs $310 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 The Woodlands, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h behind The Woodlands, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,847

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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Highest

Between locations

The Woodlands, TX Monterrey 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

The Woodlands, 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

The Woodlands, TX vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The Woodlands, TX and Monterrey differ by about 94% in total monthly costs ($3,121 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 583% higher in The Woodlands, 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: $1,877 in The Woodlands, TX versus $970 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 $50.0 versus $95.0 in The Woodlands, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,121 per month in The Woodlands, TX versus $1,608 in Monterrey – a 94% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $3,121 in The Woodlands, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in The Woodlands, 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.

Safety-wise, The Woodlands, TX and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in The Woodlands, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.