Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,350 in Geneva, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Geneva, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,350

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,350 per month in Geneva, IL vs $1,599 in Monterrey, rent included.

Geneva, IL $2,350
Monterrey $1,599

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Geneva, IL vs $2,493 in Monterrey, rent included.

Geneva, IL $3,481
Monterrey $2,493

A family of three spends $4,612 per month in Geneva, IL vs $3,387 in Monterrey, rent included.

Geneva, IL $4,612
Monterrey $3,387

Geneva, IL costs about 47% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Geneva, IL and Monterrey sit above the global median – Geneva, IL by 73%, Monterrey by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.21 $14.21

$13.80 MX$255

2.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 $68.2

$47.99 MX$887

42.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$10.65 MX$197

13.90%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.99 MX$73.7

34.84%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.66 MX$30.76

81.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.99 MX$18.21

131.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$2.36 MX$43.64

160.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$4.43 MX$81.8

80.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.82 MX$33.58

-57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$2.83 MX$52.4

-3.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.92 MX$35.44

52.08%

Eggs

$3.44 $3.44

$2.48 MX$45.78

38.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$11.74 MX$217

-35.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$9.10 MX$168

26.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 $10.52

$12.53 MX$232

-16.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.34 MX$61.6

40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.57 MX$29.10

5.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$2.16 MX$39.86

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.47 MX$45.65

95.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.31 MX$42.64

-22.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.68 MX$49.47

10.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.46 MX$26.90

9.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.19 MX$22.07

104.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$4.75 MX$87.8

125.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$13.58 MX$251

-40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.92 MX$35.52

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.88 MX$53.2

55.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.79 MX$14.66

178.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.59 MX$29.44

157.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.06 MX$19.58

89.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.12 $44.12

$10.80 MX$200

308.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.55 MX$28.59

-29.68%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

2.75%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

6.55%

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

$176 $176

$117 MX$2,159

50.39%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$26.38 MX$488

99.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$26.04 MX$481

157.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.52 $35.52

$30.26 MX$559

17.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 $11.86

$5.23 MX$96.6

126.77%

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

$1,528 $1,528

$673 MX$12.4K

127.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

114.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$72.1 MX$1,332

-22.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$42.38 MX$783

19.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$112 MX$2,066

-21.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$119 MX$2,200

2.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$949 MX$17.5K

91.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 $1,221

$666 MX$12.3K

83.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 $2,229

$1,821 MX$33.7K

22.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 $2,128

$1,271 MX$23.5K

67.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 $3,121

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-22.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,190 $2,190

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-6.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

11.79

-45.46%

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

Last update for Geneva, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva, IL

$1.2K 52%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 45.4% $555

Groceries & Markets

Geneva, IL

$326 13.9%

Monterrey

$304 19% 6.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva, IL

$295 12.6%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 42.7% $126

Eating Out

Geneva, IL

$283 12%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 21.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva, IL

$143 6.1%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 8.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva, IL

$59 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 31.3% $19

Getting Around

Geneva, IL

$23 * 1%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 80.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,820 in Geneva, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Geneva, IL versus $48.00 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $304 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Geneva, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:55 10:55 PM

21:55 9:55 PM

1 h behind Geneva, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,812

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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Highest

Between locations

Geneva, IL Monterrey 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Geneva, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,350 in Geneva, IL, $1,599 in Monterrey – roughly 47% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,524 per month in Geneva, 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,350 in Geneva, IL and $1,599 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 47%.

Kindergarten costs $1,528 per month in Geneva, 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 Geneva, IL at $2,350. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geneva, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,599 in Monterrey to $2,350 in Geneva, 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, Geneva, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.