Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Zion, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,457 in Zion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Zion, IL
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Zion, IL Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Zion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,457 in Zion, IL.

Monterrey $1,607
Zion, IL $2,457

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,578 in Zion, IL.

Monterrey $2,512
Zion, IL $3,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $4,698 in Zion, IL.

Monterrey $3,417
Zion, IL $4,698

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 35% less than in Zion, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Zion, IL 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$251

$14.90 $14.90

-7.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$916

$61.6 $61.6

-18.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$203

$8.14 $8.14

36.73%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$73.8

$5.40 $5.40

-25.19%

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

$1.70 MX$31.11

$2.14 $2.14

-20.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.06

$1.08 $1.08

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$43.96

$5.57 $5.57

-56.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$81.9

$5.06 $5.06

-11.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.11

$0.99 $0.99

93.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$52.8

$2.41 $2.41

19.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.47

$4.13 $4.13

-53.03%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.64

$3.94 $3.94

-36.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$225

$12.28 $12.28

0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$170

$15.35 $15.35

-39.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$239

$16.44 $16.44

-20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$61.7

$5.95 $5.95

-43.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$28.86

$2.30 $2.30

-31.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.22

$4.59 $4.59

-52.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.64

$4.17 $4.17

-41.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.24

$3.26 $3.26

-30.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.1

$2.69 $2.69

1.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$27.94

$1.96 $1.96

-21.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.03

$2.57 $2.57

-50.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.4

$12.04 $12.04

-59.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$248

$14.54 $14.54

-6.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$34.82

$2.16 $2.16

-11.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.0

$4.10 $4.10

-25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.52

$1.83 $1.83

-56.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$580

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.61

$5.37 $5.37

-69.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.06

$2.91 $2.91

-62.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$200

$17.47 $17.47

-37.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.78

$1.10 $1.10

38.18%

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

$21.4K MX$390.2K

$36.4K $36.4K

-41.28%

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

$25.5K MX$465.0K

$27.0K $27.0K

-5.66%

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

$120 MX$2,186

$223 $223

-46.41%

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

$27.08 MX$494

$52.5 $52.5

-48.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$487

$65.9 $65.9

-59.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$569

$47.48 $47.48

-34.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$401

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$93.8

$11.18 $11.18

-54.03%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$1,118 $1,118

-38.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$208.6K

$12.4K $12.4K

-7.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,313

$47.12 $47.12

52.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$791

$24.77 $24.77

74.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,047

$57.5 $57.5

95.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,224

$50.6 $50.6

140.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.5K

$1,698 $1,698

-43.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.2K

$1,468 $1,468

-54.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.5K

$2,649 $2,649

-28.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$23.8K

$1,987 $1,987

-34.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$75.9K

$2,672 $2,672

55.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.5K

$2,051 $2,051

18.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.7K

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 4, 2026

Last update for Zion, IL: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Zion, IL

$1.5K 55.2% 119% $798

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Zion, IL

$414 15.6% 32.5% $101

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Zion, IL

$259 9.7% 15.9% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Zion, IL

$342 12.8% 97% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Zion, IL

$81 3% 48.5% $76

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Zion, IL

$27 * 1% 35.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Zion, IL

$70 2.6% 68.5% $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 $957 in Monterrey and $1,698 in Zion, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $62.0 in Zion, IL for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $414 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Zion, IL

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

24,655

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.48 USD

100 MXN = 4.89 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 18.26 MXN (100 MXN = 5.48 USD). 1 EUR = 20.46 MXN (100 MXN = 4.89 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Zion, IL 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monterrey and Zion, IL differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $2,457 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,411 in Monterrey and $3,686 in Zion, 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $1,698 in Zion, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $688 in Monterrey versus $1,118 in Zion, 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 $50.0 versus $62.0 in Zion, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,457 in Zion, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Zion, 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 53% less than in Zion, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.