Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Decatur, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $1,725 in Decatur, IL, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Decatur, IL despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Decatur, IL
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Decatur, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Decatur, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $1,725 in Decatur, IL, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Decatur, IL $1,725

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $2,654 in Decatur, IL, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Decatur, IL $2,654

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $3,582 in Decatur, IL, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Decatur, IL $3,582

Monterrey is about 7% cheaper than Decatur, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Monterrey and Decatur, IL sit above the global median – Monterrey by 19%, Decatur, IL by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$19.96 $19.96

-30.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$83.4 $83.4

-40.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$8.74 $8.74

26.43%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.41 $5.41

-24.40%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.24 $2.24

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.66 $1.66

-37.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$5.02 $5.02

-52.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.12 $6.12

-28.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$1.34 $1.34

43.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.06 $3.06

-3.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$2.03 $2.03

-7.39%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$4.74 $4.74

-46.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$13.87 $13.87

-14.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$14.86 $14.86

-37.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$13.08 $13.08

0.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.31 $4.31

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$2.02 $2.02

-24.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$4.03 $4.03

-45.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$3.27 $3.27

-27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$0.91 $0.91

148.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$1.09 $1.09

150.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$1.48 $1.48

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$3.07 $3.07

-59.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$15.87 $15.87

-70.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.81 $14.81

-7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$2.20 $2.20

-14.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$1.99 $1.99

50.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$3.17 $3.17

-47.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.42 $1.42

-20.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$25.28 $25.28

-55.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$1.16 $1.16

34.48%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$37.0K $37.0K

-42.04%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.5K $25.5K

-1.73%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$85.6 $85.6

39.43%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$67.2 $67.2

-60.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$60.2 $60.2

-55.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$74.7 $74.7

-58.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$11.82 $11.82

-55.25%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,525 $1,525

-54.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$32.0K $32.0K

-64.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$68.1 $68.1

6.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$51.5 $51.5

-17.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$101 $101

8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$144 $144

-18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$867 $867

11.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$551 $551

20.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$993 $993

86.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$805 $805

60.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$940 $940

342.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$941 $941

149.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$4,599 $4,599

-75.08%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Decatur, IL: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Decatur, IL

$551 31.9% 17% $113

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Decatur, IL

$385 22.3% 23.9% $74

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Decatur, IL

$304 17.6% 35.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Decatur, IL

$213 12.3% 23.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Decatur, IL

$164 9.5% 6.9% $11

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Decatur, IL

$10 * 0.6% 75.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Decatur, IL

$98 5.7% 136% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey versus $867 in Decatur, 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 301% higher in Decatur, 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 $83.0 in Decatur, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $385 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Decatur, IL

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

14:21 2:21 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

77,047

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Decatur, IL 1,900 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Decatur, 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 Decatur, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Decatur, IL is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey and $2,588 in Decatur, 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Monterrey and $83.0 in Decatur, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Decatur, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Decatur, IL at $1,725. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Decatur, IL 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, Decatur, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.