Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Schaumburg, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
157

Cost of Living Index in Schaumburg, IL
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Schaumburg, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Schaumburg, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL.

Monterrey $1,599
Schaumburg, IL $3,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $4,555 in Schaumburg, IL.

Monterrey $2,493
Schaumburg, IL $4,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $5,840 in Schaumburg, IL.

Monterrey $3,387
Schaumburg, IL $5,840

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 51% less than in Schaumburg, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Schaumburg, IL 141% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$15.02 $15.02

-8.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$101 $101

-52.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$13.24 $13.24

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$4.80 $4.80

-16.87%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.56 $2.56

-35.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$2.22 $2.22

-55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$4.53 $4.53

-47.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$6.13 $6.13

-27.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.86 $0.86

111.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$4.16 $4.16

-31.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$7.50 $7.50

-74.40%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$4.04 $4.04

-38.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$14.89 $14.89

-21.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$13.54 $13.54

-32.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$17.42 $17.42

-28.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$5.36 $5.36

-37.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$3.06 $3.06

-48.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$4.83 $4.83

-55.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.08 $4.08

-39.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$3.34 $3.34

-30.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$3.26 $3.26

-17.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$1.97 $1.97

-25.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$3.40 $3.40

-65.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$17.77 $17.77

-73.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$19.19 $19.19

-29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$5.59 $5.59

-48.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.93 $0.93

66.67%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$25.9K $25.9K

-6.55%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$29.3K $29.3K

-17.06%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$339 $339

-65.59%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$77.6 $77.6

-66.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$149 $149

-82.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$64.1 $64.1

-52.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

$40.45 $40.45

-47.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$19.63 $19.63

-73.36%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$85.0K $85.0K

-86.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$74.3 $74.3

-3.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$50.7 $50.7

-16.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$101 $101

11.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$121 $121

-1.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,896 $1,896

-49.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,713 $1,713

-61.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,769 $2,769

-34.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,507 $2,507

-49.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,132 $2,132

90.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,090 $2,090

12.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$5,001 $5,001

-76.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.1

93.28%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Schaumburg, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Schaumburg, IL

$1.7K 52.4% 157% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Schaumburg, IL

$461 * 14.1% 51.3% $156

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Schaumburg, IL

$271 8.3% 22.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Schaumburg, IL

$566 17.3% 235% $397

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Schaumburg, IL

$156 4.8% 0.4% $0.7

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Schaumburg, IL

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Schaumburg, IL

$103 3.2% 154% $63

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 $1,896 in Schaumburg, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schaumburg, IL pays 333% 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 $101 in Schaumburg, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $461 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Schaumburg, IL

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

00:18 12:18 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

78,723

💱 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

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Between locations

Monterrey Schaumburg, IL 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Schaumburg, IL differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $3,270 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 333% lower in Schaumburg, 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 $1,896 in Schaumburg, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $101 in Schaumburg, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,599 per month in Monterrey versus $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $3,270 in Schaumburg, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Schaumburg, 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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Schaumburg, IL are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Schaumburg, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.