Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,895 in Alton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,895

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,895 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alton, IL $1,895
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $2,862 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alton, IL $2,862
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $3,829 per month in Alton, IL vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Alton, IL $3,829
Monterrey $3,387

Alton, IL costs about 18% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton, IL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Alton, IL by 40%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$13.80 MX$255

50.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$47.99 MX$887

15.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$10.65 MX$197

4.88%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.99 MX$73.7

24.06%

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

$1.46 $1.46

$1.66 MX$30.76

-12.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$0.99 MX$18.21

75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$2.36 MX$43.64

64.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.43 MX$81.8

32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.82 MX$33.58

-55.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.83 MX$52.4

-8.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.92 MX$35.44

63.02%

Eggs

$3.16 $3.16

$2.48 MX$45.78

27.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$11.74 MX$217

-20.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$9.10 MX$168

-25.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.42 $23.42

$12.53 MX$232

86.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$3.34 MX$61.6

27.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.57 MX$29.10

-24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$2.16 MX$39.86

139.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.47 MX$45.65

97.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.31 MX$42.64

-4.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.68 MX$49.47

2.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.46 MX$26.90

43.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.19 MX$22.07

76.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$4.75 MX$87.8

133.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$13.58 MX$251

-11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.92 MX$35.52

-4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.88 MX$53.2

-7.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.59 MX$29.44

86.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.06 MX$19.58

59.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.55 MX$28.59

-36.77%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

15.34%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

6.88%

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

$331 $331

$117 MX$2,159

183.49%

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

$43.44 $43.44

$26.38 MX$488

64.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.7 $77.7

$26.04 MX$481

198.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 $27.07

$30.26 MX$559

-10.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 $11.95

$5.23 MX$96.6

128.49%

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

$279 $279

$673 MX$12.4K

-58.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 $40.36

$72.1 MX$1,332

-44.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$42.38 MX$783

0.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$112 MX$2,066

-41.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 $76.1

$119 MX$2,200

-36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$949 MX$17.5K

-19.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 $627

$666 MX$12.3K

-5.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$1,821 MX$33.7K

-39.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$1,271 MX$23.5K

0.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,513 $1,513

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-62.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,455 $1,455

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-38.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,813 $3,813

$1,155 MX$21.3K

230.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

-49.11%

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

Last update for Alton, IL: 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

Alton, IL

$627 33.1%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 6.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton, IL

$452 23.9%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 62.6% $283

Groceries & Markets

Alton, IL

$349 18.4%

Monterrey

$304 19% 12.8% $45

Eating Out

Alton, IL

$303 16%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 26.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Alton, IL

$101 5.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 53.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Alton, IL

$51 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 20.1% $10

Getting Around

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 262% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Alton, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 230% higher in Alton, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alton, IL versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

18:13 6:13 PM

1 h behind Alton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,676

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 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

Alton, IL Monterrey 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Alton, IL
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

Alton, IL vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 18% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,842 per month in Alton, IL and $2,399 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,895 in Alton, IL and $1,599 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Alton, IL and $673 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Alton, IL at $1,895. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $1,895 in Alton, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.