Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ottawa, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,633 in Ottawa, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa, IL
Learn more

Ottawa, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Ottawa, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,633 in Ottawa, IL.

Monterrey $1,599
Ottawa, IL $2,633

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $3,645 in Ottawa, IL.

Monterrey $2,493
Ottawa, IL $3,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $4,657 in Ottawa, IL.

Monterrey $3,387
Ottawa, IL $4,657

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 39% less than in Ottawa, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Ottawa, IL 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$14.83 $14.83

-6.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$61.0 $61.0

-21.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$10.18 $10.18

4.62%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$4.76 $4.76

-16.18%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.25 $2.25

-26.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.70 $1.70

-41.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$5.39 $5.39

-56.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$5.61 $5.61

-21.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.84 $0.84

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.03 $3.03

-6.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$3.01 $3.01

-36.21%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.91 $3.91

-36.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$12.23 $12.23

-4.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$6.20 $6.20

46.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$12.51 $12.51

0.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$3.36 $3.36

-0.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.42 $1.42

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$3.09 $3.09

-30.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.34 $4.34

-43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.11 $2.11

9.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$2.31 $2.31

16.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.20 $2.20

-33.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.27 $1.27

-6.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$12.60 $12.60

-62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$14.75 $14.75

-7.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.08 $2.08

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$4.06 $4.06

-29.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$2.06 $2.06

-61.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$2.56 $2.56

-37.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.53 $1.53

-30.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$33.12 $33.12

-67.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.17 $1.17

32.48%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$27.4K $27.4K

-11.99%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

-10.44%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$234 $234

-50.17%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$45.76 $45.76

-42.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$67.1 $67.1

-61.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$39.21 $39.21

-22.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$26.53 $26.53

-19.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$11.26 $11.26

-53.55%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,001 $1,001

-32.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$19.6K $19.6K

-43.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$47.96 $47.96

50.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$46.88 $46.88

-9.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$115 $115

-2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$121 $121

-1.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,641 $1,641

-42.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,483 $1,483

-55.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,846 $2,846

-36.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,203 $2,203

-42.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,779 $2,779

45.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,237 $2,237

4.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$2,448 $2,448

-52.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.82

72.87%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ottawa, IL: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Ottawa, IL

$1.5K 56.3% 123% $816

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Ottawa, IL

$314 11.9% 3.1% $9.6

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Ottawa, IL

$260 9.9% 17.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Ottawa, IL

$347 13.2% 105% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Ottawa, IL

$149 5.7% 4.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Ottawa, IL

$18 * 0.7% 55.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Ottawa, IL

$62 2.3% 51.6% $21

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 $1,641 in Ottawa, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa, IL pays 112% 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: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $61.0 in Ottawa, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $314 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Ottawa, IL

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

18,342

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Ottawa, IL 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Ottawa, IL differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,633 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 112% lower in Ottawa, 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: $949 in Monterrey versus $1,641 in Ottawa, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $1,001 in Ottawa, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $61.0 in Ottawa, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,633 in Ottawa, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Ottawa, 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 65% less than in Ottawa, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.