Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrington, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,677 in Barrington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Barrington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Barrington, IL vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Barrington, IL $2,677
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $4,008 per month in Barrington, IL vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Barrington, IL $4,008
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $5,339 per month in Barrington, IL vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Barrington, IL $5,339
Monterrey $3,387

Barrington, IL costs about 67% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barrington, IL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Barrington, IL by 98%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$13.80 MX$255

46.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$47.99 MX$887

55.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$10.65 MX$197

6.67%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.99 MX$73.7

31.33%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.66 MX$30.76

56.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.99 MX$18.21

107.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 $5.99

$2.36 MX$43.64

153.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$4.43 MX$81.8

61.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.82 MX$33.58

-36.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.83 MX$52.4

33.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.92 MX$35.44

125.52%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$2.48 MX$45.78

72.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$11.74 MX$217

29.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$9.10 MX$168

21.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 $17.23

$12.53 MX$232

37.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$3.34 MX$61.6

72.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.57 MX$29.10

26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.16 MX$39.86

112.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.47 MX$45.65

172.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.31 MX$42.64

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.68 MX$49.47

-19.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.46 MX$26.90

66.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.19 MX$22.07

91.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 $10.15

$4.75 MX$87.8

113.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.22 $17.22

$13.58 MX$251

26.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.92 MX$35.52

-2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.88 MX$53.2

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$0.79 MX$14.66

149.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$31.36 MX$579

271.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.59 MX$29.44

115.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.06 MX$19.58

48.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 $33.06

$10.80 MX$200

206.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.55 MX$28.59

-24.52%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

14.95%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

9.13%

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

$230 $230

$117 MX$2,159

97.14%

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

$48.44 $48.44

$26.38 MX$488

83.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$26.04 MX$481

126.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 $67.2

$30.26 MX$559

122.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 $15.27

$21.25 MX$393

-28.14%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 $14.61

$5.23 MX$96.6

179.35%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$673 MX$12.4K

120.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

148.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$72.1 MX$1,332

-27.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.21 $41.21

$42.38 MX$783

-2.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$112 MX$2,066

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$119 MX$2,200

-5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$949 MX$17.5K

69.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 $1,222

$666 MX$12.3K

83.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$1,821 MX$33.7K

38.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,271 MX$23.5K

70.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,376 $2,376

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-41.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,187 $2,187

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-6.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,760 $5,760

$1,155 MX$21.3K

398.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Barrington, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrington, IL

$1.2K 45.7%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 45.5% $556

Groceries & Markets

Barrington, IL

$430 16.1%

Monterrey

$304 19% 29.2% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrington, IL

$338 12.6%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 49.9% $169

Eating Out

Barrington, IL

$322 12%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 31.1% $100

Getting Around

Barrington, IL

$136 5.1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 69.5% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Barrington, IL

$133 5%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 16.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Barrington, IL

$96 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 57.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Barrington, 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 399% higher in Barrington, 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 $75.0 in Barrington, IL versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barrington, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

1 h behind Barrington, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,772

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

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Between locations

Barrington, IL Monterrey 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barrington, 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

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

Barrington, IL costs about 67% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,015 per month in Barrington, 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.

Public transport costs about 272% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Barrington, 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 Barrington, IL at $2,677. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barrington, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $2,677 in Barrington, 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, Barrington, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.