Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Chicago, IL

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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
153

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

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Chicago, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Chicago, IL

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Monterrey and in Chicago, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monterrey is about 49% cheaper than Chicago, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$250

$21.62 $21.62

-36.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$913

$91.2 $91.2

-44.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$203

$13.09 $13.09

-14.97%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$73.5

$5.78 $5.78

-30.10%

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

$1.70 MX$31.00

$2.64 $2.64

-35.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.00

$2.28 $2.28

-56.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$43.80

$6.94 $6.94

-65.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$81.6

$8.93 $8.93

-49.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$34.98

$1.27 $1.27

51.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$52.6

$3.94 $3.94

-26.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.34

$4.96 $4.96

-60.89%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.47

$4.64 $4.64

-46.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$224

$13.97 $13.97

-11.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$170

$14.37 $14.37

-35.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$238

$18.59 $18.59

-29.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$61.5

$5.37 $5.37

-37.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$1.93 $1.93

-18.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.07

$4.01 $4.01

-45.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.48

$4.94 $4.94

-50.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.09

$2.80 $2.80

-19.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$49.89

$2.76 $2.76

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.83

$2.16 $2.16

-29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$22.94

$3.12 $3.12

-59.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.1

$15.71 $15.71

-69.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$247

$15.23 $15.23

-10.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$34.69

$2.57 $2.57

-25.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$55.8

$3.48 $3.48

-12.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.47

$2.48 $2.48

-67.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$578

$74.4 $74.4

-57.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.50

$3.23 $3.23

-49.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$19.99

$1.43 $1.43

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$199

$24.33 $24.33

-54.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.68

$1.25 $1.25

21.60%

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

$21.4K MX$388.7K

$35.9K $35.9K

-40.43%

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

$25.5K MX$463.3K

$26.0K $26.0K

-1.99%

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

$120 MX$2,178

$195 $195

-38.47%

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

$27.08 MX$493

$69.0 $69.0

-60.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$486

$62.1 $62.1

-56.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$567

$54.5 $54.5

-42.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$399

$27.80 $27.80

-21.04%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$93.5

$17.84 $17.84

-71.19%

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

$688 MX$12.5K

$1,513 $1,513

-54.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$207.9K

$31.1K $31.1K

-63.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,308

$68.1 $68.1

5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$788

$51.6 $51.6

-16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,040

$101 $101

10.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,216

$141 $141

-13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.4K

$2,437 $2,437

-60.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.2K

$1,662 $1,662

-59.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.3K

$4,644 $4,644

-59.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$23.7K

$2,751 $2,751

-52.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$75.7K

$4,036 $4,036

3.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.3K

$2,677 $2,677

-8.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.6K

$4,861 $4,861

-76.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.77

74.15%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chicago, IL: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Chicago, IL

$1.7K 53% 148% $992

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Chicago, IL

$450 14.3% 43.9% $137

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Chicago, IL

$354 11.3% 58.2% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Chicago, IL

$326 10.4% 87.7% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Chicago, IL

$163 5.2% 3.8% $5.9

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Chicago, IL

$95 3% 125% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Chicago, IL

$90 2.9% 118% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Monterrey versus $2,437 in Chicago, IL. 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 $50.0 in Monterrey versus $91.0 in Chicago, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $450 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Chicago, IL

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,746,388

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Monterrey
Chicago, IL

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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,411 per month in Monterrey and $4,753 in Chicago, IL. 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 $50.0 in Monterrey and $91.0 in Chicago, IL. 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.