Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East Chicago, IN and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,544 in East Chicago, IN, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in East Chicago, IN
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East Chicago, IN Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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East Chicago, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,544

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,544 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $2,544
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,746 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $3,746
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,947 per month in East Chicago, IN vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

East Chicago, IN $4,947
Monterrey $3,387

East Chicago, IN costs about 59% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both East Chicago, IN and Monterrey sit above the global median – East Chicago, IN by 88%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.94 $20.94

$13.80 MX$255

51.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$47.99 MX$887

66.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 $10.63

$10.65 MX$197

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$5.62 $5.62

$3.99 MX$73.7

40.85%

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

$2.83 $2.83

$1.66 MX$30.76

70.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.99 MX$18.21

129.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$2.36 MX$43.64

160.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.98 $6.98

$4.43 MX$81.8

57.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.82 MX$33.58

-44.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 $3.24

$2.83 MX$52.4

14.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$1.92 MX$35.44

123.44%

Eggs

$4.41 $4.41

$2.48 MX$45.78

77.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 $13.51

$11.74 MX$217

15.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$9.10 MX$168

44.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 $14.80

$12.53 MX$232

18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$3.34 MX$61.6

51.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.57 MX$29.10

7.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.16 MX$39.86

96.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.47 MX$45.65

64.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$2.31 MX$42.64

17.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.68 MX$49.47

11.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.46 MX$26.90

37.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.19 MX$22.07

84.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.89 $10.89

$4.75 MX$87.8

129.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.64 $13.64

$13.58 MX$251

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.92 MX$35.52

13.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.88 MX$53.2

15.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 $2.27

$0.79 MX$14.66

187.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$1.59 MX$29.44

115.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.06 MX$19.58

77.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.32 $27.32

$10.80 MX$200

152.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 MX$28.59

-40.65%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

10.52%

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

$24.1K $24.1K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

-0.89%

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

$200 $200

$117 MX$2,159

71.27%

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

$58.1 $58.1

$26.38 MX$488

120.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$26.04 MX$481

165.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.78 $38.78

$30.26 MX$559

28.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 $12.56

$5.23 MX$96.6

140.15%

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

$1,575 $1,575

$673 MX$12.4K

134.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K $24.2K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

118.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.67 $45.67

$72.1 MX$1,332

-36.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$42.38 MX$783

-3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 $88.8

$112 MX$2,066

-20.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$119 MX$2,200

-8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 $1,611

$949 MX$17.5K

69.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$666 MX$12.3K

91.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 $2,510

$1,821 MX$33.7K

37.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,125 $2,125

$1,271 MX$23.5K

67.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,782 $2,782

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-31.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,636 $2,636

$2,348 MX$43.4K

12.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,143 $4,143

$1,155 MX$21.3K

258.66%

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 East Chicago, IN: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East Chicago, IN

$1.3K 50.2%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 47.8% $610

Groceries & Markets

East Chicago, IN

$394 15.5%

Monterrey

$304 19% 22.7% $90

Eating Out

East Chicago, IN

$332 13.1%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 33.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East Chicago, IN

$327 12.9%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 48.3% $158

Clothing & Footwear

East Chicago, IN

$128 5%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 21.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

East Chicago, IN

$64 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 36.3% $23

Getting Around

East Chicago, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 89.1% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,611 in East Chicago, IN 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 259% higher in East Chicago, IN, 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 $80.0 in East Chicago, IN versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $394 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 East Chicago, IN

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

11:13 11:13 AM

1 h behind East Chicago, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,370

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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

East Chicago, IN Monterrey 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

East Chicago, IN
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

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

Yes – East Chicago, IN is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,815 per month in East Chicago, IN 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 $2,544 in East Chicago, IN and $1,599 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 59%.

Kindergarten costs $1,575 per month in East Chicago, IN 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 East Chicago, IN at $2,544. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in East Chicago, IN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Monterrey – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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