Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Waukegan, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Waukegan, IL
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Waukegan, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Waukegan, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,588 in Waukegan, IL.

Monterrey $1,599
Waukegan, IL $2,588

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,493 in Monterrey versus $3,760 in Waukegan, IL.

Monterrey $2,493
Waukegan, IL $3,760

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Monterrey versus $4,931 in Waukegan, IL.

Monterrey $3,387
Waukegan, IL $4,931

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 38% less than in Waukegan, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 18% above, Waukegan, IL 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$18.80 $18.80

-26.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$73.9 $73.9

-35.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$11.09 $11.09

-3.97%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$5.04 $5.04

-20.83%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.47 $2.47

-32.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.95 $1.95

-49.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$6.12 $6.12

-61.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$7.15 $7.15

-38.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$1.01 $1.01

80.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.44 $3.44

-17.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$4.19 $4.19

-54.18%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$4.06 $4.06

-38.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$12.46 $12.46

-5.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$11.48 $11.48

-20.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$15.19 $15.19

-17.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$4.94 $4.94

-32.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.56 $1.56

0.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$4.15 $4.15

-47.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$4.60 $4.60

-46.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$2.77 $2.77

-16.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$2.86 $2.86

-6.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.02 $2.02

-27.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$2.08 $2.08

-42.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.56 $9.56

-50.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$13.83 $13.83

-1.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$1.77 $1.77

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$3.28 $3.28

-12.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

$1.96 $1.96

-59.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$3.52 $3.52

-54.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.58 $1.58

-32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$28.94 $28.94

-62.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$0.91 $0.91

70.33%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$29.7K $29.7K

-18.79%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$25.6K $25.6K

-4.99%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$188 $188

-37.97%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$51.9 $51.9

-49.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$66.3 $66.3

-60.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

$42.42 $42.42

-28.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$13.37 $13.37

-60.88%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,314 $1,314

-48.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$23.5K $23.5K

-52.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$51.5 $51.5

40.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$40.19 $40.19

5.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$87.5 $87.5

27.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$114 $114

4.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,631 $1,631

-41.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,373 $1,373

-51.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,587 $2,587

-29.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,235 $2,235

-43.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,798 $2,798

44.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,430 $2,430

-3.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.51

81.11%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Waukegan, IL: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Waukegan, IL

$1.4K 53.1% 106% $707

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Waukegan, IL

$382 14.7% 25.3% $77

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Waukegan, IL

$307 11.9% 38.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Waukegan, IL

$306 11.8% 81.1% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Waukegan, IL

$132 5.1% 15.1% $23

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Waukegan, IL

$19 * 0.7% 53.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Waukegan, IL

$69 2.7% 69.9% $28

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 $1,631 in Waukegan, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $48.00 in Monterrey vs $74.0 in Waukegan, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $304 vs $382 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Waukegan, IL

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

02:35 2:35 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

89,321

💱 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 Waukegan, IL 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Waukegan, IL differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,599 vs $2,588 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 $3,882 in Waukegan, 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 $1,631 in Waukegan, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $673 in Monterrey versus $1,314 in Waukegan, 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 $74.0 in Waukegan, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,588 in Waukegan, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Waukegan, 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 62% less than in Waukegan, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.