Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aurora, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,697 in Aurora, IL, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Aurora, IL
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Aurora, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Aurora, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,697

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,697 per month in Aurora, IL vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Aurora, IL $2,697
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $3,815 per month in Aurora, IL vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Aurora, IL $3,815
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $4,932 per month in Aurora, IL vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Aurora, IL $4,932
Monterrey $3,417

Aurora, IL costs about 68% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Aurora, IL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Aurora, IL by 101%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.27 $14.27

$13.75 MX$252

3.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$50.2 MX$921

18.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$11.13 MX$204

6.02%

Cappuccino

$5.25 $5.25

$4.04 MX$74.2

29.95%

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

$2.98 $2.98

$1.70 MX$31.29

75.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.99 MX$18.17

137.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 $5.10

$2.41 MX$44.21

111.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 $8.07

$4.48 MX$82.3

80.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.92 MX$35.31

-53.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$2.89 MX$53.1

20.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$1.94 MX$35.67

120.62%

Eggs

$3.53 $3.53

$2.50 MX$45.90

41.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.05 $9.05

$12.30 MX$226

-26.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$9.33 MX$171

22.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.00 $16.00

$13.07 MX$240

22.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.38 MX$62.1

35.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.58 MX$29.02

4.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.20 MX$40.45

71.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.45 MX$44.89

33.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.26 MX$41.47

-15.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.74 MX$50.4

-2.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.53 MX$28.09

16.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.26 MX$23.16

27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 $10.64

$4.84 MX$88.9

119.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 $13.52

$13.59 MX$249

-0.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.91 MX$35.01

18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.06 MX$56.3

-4.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 $133

$31.77 MX$583

319.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 $3.93

$1.62 MX$29.78

142.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.10 MX$20.17

86.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.88 $42.88

$10.97 MX$201

290.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.52 MX$27.93

-31.58%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

16.26%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-2.63%

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

$177 $177

$120 MX$2,198

47.57%

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

$51.2 $51.2

$27.08 MX$497

89.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 $54.0

$26.70 MX$490

102.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.64 $29.64

$31.15 MX$572

-4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

Cinema Ticket

$11.87 $11.87

$5.14 MX$94.4

130.93%

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

$1,488 $1,488

$688 MX$12.6K

116.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

108.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 $57.1

$71.9 MX$1,321

-20.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$43.30 MX$795

17.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.7 $87.7

$112 MX$2,059

-21.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 $81.3

$122 MX$2,236

-33.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 $1,662

$957 MX$17.6K

73.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 $1,425

$670 MX$12.3K

112.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,887 MX$34.7K

16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,218 $2,218

$1,305 MX$24.0K

70.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,824 $9,824

$4,159 MX$76.4K

136.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,179 $3,179

$2,437 MX$44.7K

30.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,784 $3,784

$1,133 MX$20.8K

233.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

11.79

-45.29%

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

Last update for Aurora, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aurora, IL

$1.4K 53.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 53% $755

Groceries & Markets

Aurora, IL

$353 13.3%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 11.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aurora, IL

$282 10.6%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 38.4% $108

Eating Out

Aurora, IL

$276 10.4%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 18.8% $52

Getting Around

Aurora, IL

$147 * 5.5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 71.5% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Aurora, IL

$124 4.7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 26.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Aurora, IL

$53 2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 22.4% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,662 in Aurora, IL versus $957 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 234% higher in Aurora, 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 $59.0 in Aurora, IL versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Aurora, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h behind Aurora, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,542

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aurora, IL Monterrey 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Aurora, 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

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

Aurora, IL costs about 68% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,045 per month in Aurora, IL and $2,411 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Aurora, IL and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,697 in Aurora, IL and $1,607 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 68%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Aurora, IL at $2,697. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Aurora, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,607 versus $2,697 in Aurora, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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