Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Urbana, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,871 in Urbana, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Urbana, IL
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Urbana, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,871 in Urbana, IL.

Monterrey $1,599
Urbana, IL $1,871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $2,123 in Urbana, IL.

Monterrey $2,493
Urbana, IL $2,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $2,374 in Urbana, IL.

Monterrey $3,387
Urbana, IL $2,374

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 15% less than in Urbana, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Urbana, IL 38% 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

$59.0 $59.0

-18.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$9.95 $9.95

7.04%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$4.71 $4.71

-15.29%

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

$1.77 $1.77

-44.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$5.46 $5.46

-56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$5.65 $5.65

-21.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.78 $0.78

133.33%

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

$3.82 $3.82

-35.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$12.23 $12.23

-4.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$8.95 $8.95

1.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$14.14 $14.14

-11.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$4.02 $4.02

-16.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.63 $1.63

-3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$3.18 $3.18

-32.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.54 $4.54

-45.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.23 $2.23

3.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$2.65 $2.65

1.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.30 $2.30

-36.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.37 $1.37

-13.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$12.21 $12.21

-61.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$15.22 $15.22

-10.78%

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

$3.51 $3.51

-17.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$0.99 $0.99

-20.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.03 $3.03

-47.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$0.59 $0.59

79.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$25.08 $25.08

-56.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.16 $1.16

33.62%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$27.7K $27.7K

-12.76%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$26.3K $26.3K

-7.50%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$242 $242

-51.66%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$44.28 $44.28

-40.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$60.7 $60.7

-57.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$13.14 $13.14

-60.20%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,003 $1,003

-32.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$20.4K $20.4K

-45.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$48.69 $48.69

48.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$50.8 $50.8

-16.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$97.7 $97.7

14.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$121 $121

-1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$866 $866

9.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$746 $746

-10.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$1,774 $1,774

128.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$1,732 $1,732

35.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

$6,774 $6,774

-82.95%

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 Urbana, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Urbana, IL

$746 39.9% 11.9% $79

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Urbana, IL

$340 18.2% 11.7% $36

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Urbana, IL

$260 13.9% 17.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Urbana, IL

$347 18.5% 105% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Urbana, IL

$143 7.6% 8% $12

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Urbana, IL

$10 * 0.5% 76% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4% 35.4% $14

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 $866 in Urbana, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbana, IL pays 486% 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 $59.0 in Urbana, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $340 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

41,250

💱 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

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Between locations

Monterrey Urbana, IL 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Urbana, IL differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $1,871 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 486% lower in Urbana, 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 $866 in Urbana, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $1,003 in Urbana, 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 $59.0 in Urbana, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,871 in Urbana, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Urbana, 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 17% less than in Urbana, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.