Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,592 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Evanston, IL vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,592
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $4,449 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,449
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $6,305 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,305
Monterrey $3,433

Evanston, IL costs about 61% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Evanston, IL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 92%, Monterrey by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 $21.26

$13.85 MX$256

53.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 $85.6

$49.70 MX$918

72.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$11.05 MX$204

15.38%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$4.09 MX$75.6

38.88%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.68 MX$30.97

59.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.03 MX$18.98

120.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$2.40 MX$44.28

196.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$4.35 MX$80.3

88.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.92 MX$35.55

-45.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$2.94 MX$54.2

33.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$1.88 MX$34.66

129.79%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$2.55 MX$47.06

89.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$11.84 MX$219

21.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$9.36 MX$173

59.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 $20.11

$13.10 MX$242

53.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$3.38 MX$62.5

57.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.52 MX$28.13

9.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$2.19 MX$40.51

84.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.36 MX$43.63

102.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$2.26 MX$41.76

18.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$2.73 MX$50.5

4.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.52 MX$28.17

38.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.24 MX$22.90

89.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$4.75 MX$87.8

124.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$13.66 MX$252

9.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.89 MX$34.95

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.99 MX$55.2

13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.85 MX$15.78

187.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$30.95 MX$572

143.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.68 MX$30.98

144.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.13 MX$20.87

26.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.26 $43.26

$11.15 MX$206

287.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.56 MX$28.91

-35.90%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

65.20%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-0.43%

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

$192 $192

$119 MX$2,206

60.74%

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

$61.6 $61.6

$26.21 MX$484

134.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$26.78 MX$495

169.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 $76.1

$31.03 MX$573

145.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.8 $60.8

$21.43 MX$396

183.48%

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$5.29 MX$97.7

180.34%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$691 MX$12.8K

119.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

175.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$72.3 MX$1,335

-10.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$42.72 MX$789

18.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$110 MX$2,024

-1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$117 MX$2,158

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 $1,645

$970 MX$17.9K

69.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$664 MX$12.3K

68.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,989 $3,989

$1,857 MX$34.3K

114.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,954 $2,954

$1,287 MX$23.8K

129.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.6K $14.6K

$4,162 MX$76.9K

250.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.8K $12.8K

$2,349 MX$43.4K

445.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,335 $5,335

$1,146 MX$21.2K

365.33%

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 Evanston, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.1%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 40.6% $454

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$441 17%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 29.6% $131

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$348 13.4%

Monterrey

$225 14% 35.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$326 12.6%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 47.1% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 2.4% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$106 4.1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 60.7% $64

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 56.7% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,645 in Evanston, IL versus $970 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 365% higher in Evanston, 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 $86.0 in Evanston, IL versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $310 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

1 h behind Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Evanston, IL Monterrey 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,592 in Evanston, IL, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Evanston, IL and $2,412 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 42% more in Evanston, 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 $86.0 in Evanston, 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 $1,608, than in Evanston, IL at $2,592. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Evanston, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Evanston, IL has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Monterrey to $2,592 in Evanston, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.