Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Des Plaines, IL $3,073
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Des Plaines, IL $4,412
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Des Plaines, IL $5,750
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 91% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 129% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.88 $20.88

$13.75 MX$252

51.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 $89.5

$50.2 MX$921

78.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.87 $12.87

$11.13 MX$204

15.63%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$4.04 MX$74.2

39.85%

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

$2.59 $2.59

$1.70 MX$31.29

52.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 $2.32

$0.99 MX$18.17

134.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 $6.95

$2.41 MX$44.21

188.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.02 $8.02

$4.48 MX$82.3

79.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.92 MX$35.31

-50.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.89 MX$53.1

20.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.94 MX$35.67

118.04%

Eggs

$4.16 $4.16

$2.50 MX$45.90

66.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.67 $14.67

$12.30 MX$226

19.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$9.33 MX$171

39.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.95 $18.95

$13.07 MX$240

44.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.38 MX$62.1

40.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.58 MX$29.02

3.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$2.20 MX$40.45

89.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$2.45 MX$44.89

96.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.26 MX$41.47

17.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.74 MX$50.4

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.53 MX$28.09

40.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.26 MX$23.16

91.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 $10.65

$4.84 MX$88.9

120.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.86 $14.86

$13.59 MX$249

9.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.91 MX$35.01

33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.06 MX$56.3

15.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.80 MX$14.60

152.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 $60.8

$31.77 MX$583

91.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.62 MX$29.78

95.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.10 MX$20.17

24.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.93 $24.93

$10.97 MX$201

127.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.52 MX$27.93

-30.92%

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

$35.9K $35.9K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

68.09%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-2.52%

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

$195 $195

$120 MX$2,198

62.82%

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

$60.5 $60.5

$27.08 MX$497

123.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.2 $77.2

$26.70 MX$490

189.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$125 $125

$31.15 MX$572

300.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.72 $40.72

$21.95 MX$403

85.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.16 $15.16

$5.14 MX$94.4

194.94%

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

$1,545 $1,545

$688 MX$12.6K

124.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

105.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 $65.3

$71.9 MX$1,321

-9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$43.30 MX$795

17.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$112 MX$2,059

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$122 MX$2,236

0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 $2,093

$957 MX$17.6K

118.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 $1,521

$670 MX$12.3K

126.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,861 $3,861

$1,887 MX$34.7K

104.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,536 $2,536

$1,305 MX$24.0K

94.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,174 $3,174

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-23.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,521 $2,521

$2,437 MX$44.7K

3.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,220 $6,220

$1,133 MX$20.8K

449.02%

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 Des Plaines, 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

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 55.9% $851

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 25.4% $106

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 35% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 47.8% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 73.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 2.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 46.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 449% 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: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $419 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h behind Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

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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Highest

Between locations

Des Plaines, IL Monterrey 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

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

Des Plaines, IL and Monterrey differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($3,073 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 449% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. 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 91% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.