Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Rock Island, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,664 in Rock Island, IL.

Monterrey $1,599
Rock Island, IL $2,664

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $3,843 in Rock Island, IL.

Monterrey $2,493
Rock Island, IL $3,843

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $5,023 in Rock Island, IL.

Monterrey $3,387
Rock Island, IL $5,023

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 40% less than in Rock Island, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Rock Island, IL 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$20.07 $20.07

-31.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$67.2 $67.2

-28.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$12.84 $12.84

-17.06%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.90 $5.90

-32.37%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$3.14 $3.14

-47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.40 $2.40

-58.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$7.08 $7.08

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$7.97 $7.97

-44.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.94 $0.94

93.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.51 $3.51

-19.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$4.23 $4.23

-54.61%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.71 $3.71

-33.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$15.09 $15.09

-22.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$13.15 $13.15

-30.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$20.09 $20.09

-37.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$4.73 $4.73

-29.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.63 $1.63

-3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$5.15 $5.15

-58.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.79 $4.79

-48.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.80 $2.80

-17.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$3.13 $3.13

-14.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.16 $2.16

-32.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.42 $2.42

-50.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$10.72 $10.72

-55.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$15.51 $15.51

-12.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.66 $2.66

-27.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$4.36 $4.36

-33.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.82 $1.82

-56.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.96 $3.96

-59.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.99 $1.99

-46.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$44.24 $44.24

-75.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.00 $1.00

55.00%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$31.2K $31.2K

-22.53%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$25.6K $25.6K

-5.13%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$267 $267

-56.24%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$52.3 $52.3

-49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$80.6 $80.6

-67.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$45.16 $45.16

-32.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$15.12 $15.12

-65.41%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,719 $1,719

-60.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$23.8K $23.8K

-53.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$64.5 $64.5

11.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$50.9 $50.9

-16.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$108 $108

3.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$120 $120

-0.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,812 $1,812

-47.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,239 $1,239

-46.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,614 $2,614

-30.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,021 $2,021

-37.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,912 $2,912

39.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,284 $2,284

2.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.69

76.23%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5% 85.9% $572

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2% 41.5% $126

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9% 55.1% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Rock Island, IL

$400 15% 136% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8% 0.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8% 48.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8% 85.2% $35

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 $1,812 in Rock Island, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $67.0 in Rock Island, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $431 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

37,108

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

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Between locations

Monterrey Rock Island, IL 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Rock Island, 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 Rock Island, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Rock Island, IL differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,664 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 $3,995 in Rock Island, 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 $1,812 in Rock Island, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $1,719 in Rock Island, 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 $67.0 in Rock Island, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Rock Island, 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 67% less than in Rock Island, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.