Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naperville, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,821 in Naperville, IL, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Naperville, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$2,821
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,599
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Naperville, IL and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Naperville, IL and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,821 in Naperville, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

  • Naperville, IL $2,821
  • Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,974 in Naperville, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

  • Naperville, IL $3,974
  • Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,127 in Naperville, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

  • Naperville, IL $5,127
  • Monterrey $3,387

Living in Naperville, IL is roughly 76% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Naperville, IL 108% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.01 $14.01
$13.80 MX$255
1.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.9 $74.9
$47.99 MX$887
55.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.98 $11.98
$10.65 MX$197
12.49%
Cappuccino
$5.27 $5.27
$3.99 MX$73.7
32.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 $2.88
$1.66 MX$30.76
73.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 $2.29
$0.99 MX$18.21
131.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.13 $6.13
$2.36 MX$43.64
159.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.45 $8.45
$4.43 MX$81.8
90.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.78 $0.78
$1.82 MX$33.58
-57.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 $2.85
$2.83 MX$52.4
0.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.95 $2.95
$1.92 MX$35.44
53.65%
Eggs
$3.52 $3.52
$2.48 MX$45.78
41.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.74 $7.74
$11.74 MX$217
-34.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.46 $11.46
$9.10 MX$168
25.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.49 $10.49
$12.53 MX$232
-16.28%
Apples (1kg)
$5.49 $5.49
$3.34 MX$61.6
64.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.57 MX$29.10
5.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.47 $3.47
$2.16 MX$39.86
60.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.37 $5.37
$2.47 MX$45.65
117.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 $1.70
$2.31 MX$42.64
-26.41%
Onion (1kg)
$3.35 $3.35
$2.68 MX$49.47
25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.69 $1.69
$1.46 MX$26.90
15.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.19 MX$22.07
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.21 $12.21
$4.75 MX$87.8
157.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.21 $8.21
$13.58 MX$251
-39.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 $1.76
$1.92 MX$35.52
-8.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.99 $3.99
$2.88 MX$53.2
38.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.79 MX$14.66
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$130 $130
$31.36 MX$579
314.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.61 $5.61
$1.59 MX$29.44
252.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 $2.91
$1.06 MX$19.58
174.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.46 $17.46
$10.80 MX$200
61.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 $1.08
$1.55 MX$28.59
-30.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.4K $24.4K
$24.2K MX$446.4K
1.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K $25.8K
$24.3K MX$449.4K
6.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$173 $173
$117 MX$2,159
48.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.4 $52.4
$26.38 MX$488
98.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.6 $51.6
$26.04 MX$481
98.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$70.7 $70.7
$30.26 MX$559
133.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.09 $15.09
$21.25 MX$393
-28.99%
Cinema Ticket
$11.99 $11.99
$5.23 MX$96.6
129.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,477 $1,477
$673 MX$12.4K
119.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K $12.7K
$11.1K MX$205.2K
14.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 $57.5
$72.1 MX$1,332
-20.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.78 $24.78
$42.38 MX$783
-41.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 $87.4
$112 MX$2,066
-21.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.6 $50.6
$119 MX$2,200
-57.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,037 $2,037
$949 MX$17.5K
114.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,616 $1,616
$666 MX$12.3K
142.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,308 $3,308
$1,821 MX$33.7K
81.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,429 $2,429
$1,271 MX$23.5K
91.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,253 $2,253
$4,050 MX$74.8K
-44.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,241 $2,241
$2,348 MX$43.4K
-4.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Naperville, IL
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$6,526 $6,526
$1,155 MX$21.3K
464.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
11.79
-45.46%

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

Last update for Naperville, IL: October 19, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Naperville, IL
$1.6K
Monterrey
$666 58.8% $950
Groceries & Markets
Naperville, IL
$304 *
Monterrey
$304 0.1% $0.4
Eating Out
Naperville, IL
$280
Monterrey
$221 20.8% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Naperville, IL
$277
Monterrey
$169 38.9% $108
Getting Around
Naperville, IL
$150 *
Monterrey
$41 72.4% $109
Clothing & Footwear
Naperville, IL
$99
Monterrey
$155 56.8% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Naperville, IL
$95
Monterrey
$41 57% $54

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 $2,037 in Naperville, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Naperville, IL pays 465% 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: $75.0 in Naperville, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $304 vs $304, with Naperville, IL cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Naperville, IL
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
13:05 1:05 PM
12:05 12:05 PM
1 h behind Naperville, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,540
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Naperville, IL Monterrey 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Naperville, IL
  • Monterrey

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
Naperville, IL vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Naperville, IL and in Monterrey?
Naperville, IL and Monterrey differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($2,821 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Naperville, IL or Monterrey?
Average pay runs 465% higher in Naperville, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Naperville, IL and in Monterrey?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,037 in Naperville, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $75.0 in Naperville, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Naperville, IL or Monterrey?
All in, you'll spend $2,821 per month in Naperville, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 76% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,821 in Naperville, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Naperville, IL. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Naperville, IL and Monterrey?
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.
Is Naperville, IL or Monterrey safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Naperville, IL and Monterrey are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Naperville, IL or Monterrey?
Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Naperville, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Naperville, IL vs other spots: cost of living compared

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