Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Waco, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,447 in Waco, TX, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Waco, TX
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Waco, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Waco, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,447

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,447 in Waco, TX versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Waco, TX $2,447
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,090 in Waco, TX versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Waco, TX $3,090
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,734 in Waco, TX versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Waco, TX $3,734
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Waco, TX is roughly 52% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Waco, TX 83% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.21 $15.21

$13.75 MX$253

10.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$50.2 MX$924

17.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.13 MX$205

9.43%

Cappuccino

$5.39 $5.39

$4.04 MX$74.5

33.42%

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

$1.77 $1.77

$1.70 MX$31.39

4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.99 MX$18.22

50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 $4.93

$2.41 MX$44.35

104.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 $5.52

$4.48 MX$82.6

23.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.92 MX$35.42

-60.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 $3.16

$2.89 MX$53.2

9.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.94 MX$35.78

4.64%

Eggs

$2.78 $2.78

$2.50 MX$46.05

11.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 $12.06

$12.30 MX$227

-1.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$9.33 MX$172

3.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.67 $11.67

$13.07 MX$241

-10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 $3.83

$3.38 MX$62.3

13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.58 MX$29.12

-29.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$2.20 MX$40.58

75.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$2.45 MX$45.04

51.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.26 MX$41.61

0.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$2.74 MX$50.5

4.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.53 MX$28.18

15.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.26 MX$23.23

-21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.54 $8.54

$4.84 MX$89.2

76.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 $13.49

$13.59 MX$250

-0.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.91 MX$35.12

-12.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.06 MX$56.5

24.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.80 MX$14.65

92.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.12 $40.12

$31.77 MX$585

26.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.93 $9.93

$1.62 MX$29.88

512.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.10 MX$20.24

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.4 $59.4

$10.97 MX$202

441.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.52 MX$28.03

-41.45%

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

$36.2K $36.2K

$21.4K MX$393.7K

69.49%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.5K MX$469.1K

-1.78%

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

$175 $175

$120 MX$2,205

46.55%

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

$40.53 $40.53

$27.08 MX$499

49.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.7 $54.7

$26.70 MX$492

104.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.96 $27.96

$31.15 MX$574

-10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 $9.07

$5.14 MX$94.7

76.46%

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

$747 $747

$688 MX$12.7K

8.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K $18.2K

$11.4K MX$210.5K

59.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.91 $47.91

$71.9 MX$1,325

-33.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 $38.27

$43.30 MX$798

-11.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 $85.3

$112 MX$2,065

-23.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.4 $95.4

$122 MX$2,244

-21.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 $1,244

$957 MX$17.6K

29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 $1,328

$670 MX$12.3K

98.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 $1,541

$1,887 MX$34.8K

-18.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$1,305 MX$24.0K

5.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,970 $1,970

$4,159 MX$76.6K

-52.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,955 $1,955

$2,437 MX$44.9K

-19.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,156 $3,156

$1,133 MX$20.9K

178.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.79

-44.95%

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

Last update for Waco, TX: October 6, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Waco, TX

$1.3K 55%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 49.5% $658

Groceries & Markets

Waco, TX

$312 12.9%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 0% $0

Eating Out

Waco, TX

$272 11.3%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 17.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Waco, TX

$271 11.2%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 35.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Waco, TX

$120 5%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 30.8% $37

Getting Around

Waco, TX

$66 2.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 36% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Waco, TX

$46 1.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 10.1% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,244 in Waco, TX and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Waco, TX pays 179% 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: $59.0 in Waco, TX vs $50.0 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $312 vs $312, with Waco, TX cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Waco, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:48 7:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

1 h behind Waco, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,486

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Waco, TX Monterrey 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Waco, 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

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

Waco, TX and Monterrey differ by about 52% in total monthly costs ($2,447 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 179% higher in Waco, 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: $1,244 in Waco, TX versus $957 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 $59.0 in Waco, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,447 per month in Waco, TX versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,447 in Waco, TX, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Waco, 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 52% less than in Waco, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.