Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Des Plaines, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 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
146

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
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Des Plaines, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL.

Monterrey $1,607
Des Plaines, IL $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $4,412 in Des Plaines, IL.

Monterrey $2,512
Des Plaines, IL $4,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $5,750 in Des Plaines, IL.

Monterrey $3,417
Des Plaines, IL $5,750

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 48% less than in Des Plaines, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Des Plaines, IL 129% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

$20.88 $20.88

-34.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

$89.5 $89.5

-43.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

$12.87 $12.87

-13.52%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

$5.65 $5.65

-28.50%

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

$2.59 $2.59

-34.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

$2.32 $2.32

-57.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

$6.95 $6.95

-65.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$8.02 $8.02

-44.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$0.95 $0.95

102.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$3.49 $3.49

-17.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$4.23 $4.23

-54.14%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$4.16 $4.16

-39.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$14.67 $14.67

-16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$13.02 $13.02

-28.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$18.95 $18.95

-31.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$4.75 $4.75

-28.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$1.63 $1.63

-3.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$4.16 $4.16

-47.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$4.82 $4.82

-49.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$2.66 $2.66

-15.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$2.74 $2.74

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$2.15 $2.15

-28.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$2.41 $2.41

-47.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

$10.65 $10.65

-54.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

$14.86 $14.86

-8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$2.55 $2.55

-25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

$3.53 $3.53

-13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

$2.02 $2.02

-60.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

$60.8 $60.8

-47.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

$3.17 $3.17

-48.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

$1.37 $1.37

-19.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

$24.93 $24.93

-56.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$1.05 $1.05

44.76%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

$35.9K $35.9K

-40.51%

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

$24.8K $24.8K

2.59%

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

$120 MX$2,198

$195 $195

-38.58%

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

$27.08 MX$497

$60.5 $60.5

-55.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$77.2 $77.2

-65.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

$125 $125

-75.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

$40.72 $40.72

-46.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

$15.16 $15.16

-66.09%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$1,545 $1,545

-55.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

$23.5K $23.5K

-51.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$65.3 $65.3

10.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$51.0 $51.0

-15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$101 $101

11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$123 $123

-0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$2,093 $2,093

-54.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$1,521 $1,521

-55.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$3,861 $3,861

-51.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$2,536 $2,536

-48.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

$3,174 $3,174

31.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

$2,521 $2,521

-3.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$6,220 $6,220

-81.79%

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 Des Plaines, IL: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 50.6% 127% $851

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Des Plaines, IL

$419 14% 34% $106

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Des Plaines, IL

$344 11.5% 53.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$333 11.1% 91.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Des Plaines, IL

$153 5.1% 2.8% $4.3

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Des Plaines, IL

$79 2.6% 87.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Des Plaines, IL

$155 5.2% 274% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 449% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $419 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

60,675

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 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 Des Plaines, IL 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Des Plaines, 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 Des Plaines, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Des Plaines, IL differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $3,073 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 449% lower in Des Plaines, IL. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $957 in Monterrey versus $2,093 in Des Plaines, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $3,073 in Des Plaines, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.