Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Effingham, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,500 in Effingham, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Effingham, IL
Learn more

Effingham, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Effingham, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL.

Monterrey $1,599
Effingham, IL $2,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $3,556 in Effingham, IL.

Monterrey $2,493
Effingham, IL $3,556

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $4,612 in Effingham, IL.

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

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 36% less than in Effingham, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Effingham, IL 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$15.06 $15.06

-8.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$44.89 $44.89

6.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$11.95 $11.95

-10.88%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.53 $5.53

-27.85%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$3.21 $3.21

-48.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.66 $2.66

-62.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$5.05 $5.05

-53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$7.04 $7.04

-37.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.89 $0.89

104.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.40 $3.40

-16.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$4.48 $4.48

-57.14%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.67 $3.67

-32.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$12.49 $12.49

-6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$10.81 $10.81

-15.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$16.77 $16.77

-25.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$5.72 $5.72

-41.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.45 $1.45

8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$4.72 $4.72

-54.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.37 $4.37

-43.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.23 $2.23

3.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$1.08 $1.08

148.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.45 $2.45

-40.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.43 $2.43

-51.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$10.84 $10.84

-56.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$11.88 $11.88

14.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.00 $2.00

-4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.64 $3.64

-20.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.84 $1.84

-57.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$1.95 $1.95

-18.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.76 $1.76

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$33.78 $33.78

-68.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.99 $0.99

56.57%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$30.1K $30.1K

-19.72%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$26.2K $26.2K

-7.19%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$229 $229

-49.09%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$44.95 $44.95

-41.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$65.4 $65.4

-60.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$41.33 $41.33

-26.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$14.98 $14.98

-65.09%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,729 $1,729

-61.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$24.1K $24.1K

-53.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$45.09 $45.09

59.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$35.03 $35.03

20.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$85.7 $85.7

30.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$65.2 $65.2

82.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,628 $1,628

-41.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,297 $1,297

-48.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,487 $2,487

-26.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,146 $2,146

-40.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,804 $2,804

44.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,326 $2,326

0.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.57

79.45%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Effingham, IL: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Effingham, IL

$1.3K 51.9% 94.7% $631

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Effingham, IL

$384 15.4% 26.2% $80

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Effingham, IL

$285 11.4% 28.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Effingham, IL

$340 13.6% 101% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Effingham, IL

$104 4.2% 33.1% $51

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Effingham, IL

$18 * 0.7% 56.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Effingham, IL

$71 2.9% 75.1% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $949 in Monterrey and $1,628 in Effingham, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $45.00 in Effingham, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $384, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Effingham, IL

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

12,447

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Effingham, IL 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Effingham, IL differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,500 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,399 in Monterrey and $3,750 in Effingham, IL to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $949 in Monterrey versus $1,628 in Effingham, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Effingham, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,599 per month in Monterrey versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Effingham, 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 56% less than in Effingham, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.