Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chicago, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $3,169 in Chicago, IL, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,169

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,169 per month in Chicago, IL vs $1,607 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chicago, IL $3,169
Monterrey $1,607

A couple spends around $4,682 per month in Chicago, IL vs $2,512 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chicago, IL $4,682
Monterrey $2,512

A family of three spends $6,196 per month in Chicago, IL vs $3,417 in Monterrey, rent included.

Chicago, IL $6,196
Monterrey $3,417

Chicago, IL costs about 97% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chicago, IL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Chicago, IL by 136%, Monterrey by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.62 $21.62

$13.75 MX$250

57.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 $91.2

$50.2 MX$913

81.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.09 $13.09

$11.13 MX$203

17.61%

Cappuccino

$5.78 $5.78

$4.04 MX$73.5

43.07%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$1.70 MX$31.00

55.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$0.99 MX$18.00

130.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 $6.94

$2.41 MX$43.80

187.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$4.48 MX$81.6

99.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.92 MX$34.98

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.89 MX$52.6

36.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$1.94 MX$35.34

155.67%

Eggs

$4.64 $4.64

$2.50 MX$45.47

85.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 $13.97

$12.30 MX$224

13.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.37 $14.37

$9.33 MX$170

54.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.59 $18.59

$13.07 MX$238

42.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.38 MX$61.5

58.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.58 MX$28.75

22.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.01 $4.01

$2.20 MX$40.07

82.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.45 MX$44.48

101.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.26 MX$41.09

23.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 $2.76

$2.74 MX$49.89

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.53 MX$27.83

41.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.26 MX$22.94

147.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.71 $15.71

$4.84 MX$88.1

224.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 $15.23

$13.59 MX$247

12.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.91 MX$34.69

34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.06 MX$55.8

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$0.80 MX$14.47

210.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.4 $74.4

$31.77 MX$578

134.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 $3.23

$1.62 MX$29.50

99.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.10 MX$19.99

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.33 $24.33

$10.97 MX$199

121.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.52 MX$27.68

-17.76%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.4K MX$388.7K

67.88%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$25.5K MX$463.3K

2.03%

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

$195 $195

$120 MX$2,178

62.53%

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

$69.0 $69.0

$27.08 MX$493

154.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.1 $62.1

$26.70 MX$486

132.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 $54.5

$31.15 MX$567

74.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.80 $27.80

$21.95 MX$399

26.65%

Cinema Ticket

$17.84 $17.84

$5.14 MX$93.5

247.08%

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

$1,513 $1,513

$688 MX$12.5K

119.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K $31.1K

$11.4K MX$207.9K

172.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 $68.1

$71.9 MX$1,308

-5.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 $51.6

$43.30 MX$788

19.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$112 MX$2,040

-9.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$122 MX$2,216

15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,437 $2,437

$957 MX$17.4K

154.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 $1,662

$670 MX$12.2K

148.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,644 $4,644

$1,887 MX$34.3K

146.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,751 $2,751

$1,305 MX$23.7K

110.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,036 $4,036

$4,159 MX$75.7K

-2.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,677 $2,677

$2,437 MX$44.3K

9.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,861 $4,861

$1,133 MX$20.6K

329.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

11.79

-42.58%

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

Last update for Chicago, IL: 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

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 59.7% $992

Groceries & Markets

Chicago, IL

$450 14.3%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 30.5% $137

Eating Out

Chicago, IL

$354 11.3%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 36.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chicago, IL

$326 10.4%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 46.7% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Chicago, IL

$163 5.2%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 3.6% $5.9

Getting Around

Chicago, IL

$95 3%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 55.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 54.1% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,437 in Chicago, 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 329% higher in Chicago, 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 $91.0 in Chicago, IL versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $312 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h behind Chicago, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,746,388

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 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 = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Chicago, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,169 in Chicago, IL, $1,607 in Monterrey – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,753 per month in Chicago, 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.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Chicago, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Chicago, IL and $50.0 in Monterrey. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,607, than in Chicago, IL at $3,169. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chicago, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chicago, IL has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,607 in Monterrey to $3,169 in Chicago, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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