Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Robinson, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,349 in Robinson, IL, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Robinson, IL
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Robinson, IL Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Robinson, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,349

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,349 in Robinson, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Robinson, IL $2,349
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,361 in Robinson, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Robinson, IL $3,361
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,373 in Robinson, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Robinson, IL $4,373
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Robinson, IL is roughly 47% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Robinson, IL 73% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.89 $10.89

$13.80 MX$255

-21.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.0 $54.0

$47.99 MX$887

12.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.26 $9.26

$10.65 MX$197

-13.05%

Cappuccino

$5.11 $5.11

$3.99 MX$73.7

28.07%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.66 MX$30.76

31.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.99 MX$18.21

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.36 MX$43.64

161.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.88 $6.88

$4.43 MX$81.8

55.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.82 MX$33.58

-60.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.83 MX$52.4

-14.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$1.92 MX$35.44

158.85%

Eggs

$2.92 $2.92

$2.48 MX$45.78

17.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 $13.12

$11.74 MX$217

11.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 $6.87

$9.10 MX$168

-24.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$12.53 MX$232

-52.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.34 MX$61.6

19.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.57 MX$29.10

-10.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$2.16 MX$39.86

67.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$2.47 MX$45.65

72.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.31 MX$42.64

10.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.68 MX$49.47

-4.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.46 MX$26.90

52.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.19 MX$22.07

92.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 $9.06

$4.75 MX$87.8

90.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.52 $15.52

$13.58 MX$251

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.92 MX$35.52

47.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 $3.78

$2.88 MX$53.2

31.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.79 MX$14.66

137.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.59 MX$29.44

71.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 $1.38

$1.06 MX$19.58

30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.30 $30.30

$10.80 MX$200

180.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.55 MX$28.59

-35.48%

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

$33.2K $33.2K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

37.43%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

6.15%

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

$179 $179

$117 MX$2,159

52.90%

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

$58.1 $58.1

$26.38 MX$488

120.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.7 $68.7

$26.04 MX$481

163.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.53 $43.53

$30.26 MX$559

43.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 $11.14

$5.23 MX$96.6

113.00%

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

$399 $399

$673 MX$12.4K

-40.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K $15.9K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

42.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.55 $49.55

$72.1 MX$1,332

-31.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.60 $35.60

$42.38 MX$783

-16.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.7 $60.7

$112 MX$2,066

-45.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 $79.1

$119 MX$2,200

-33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 $570

$949 MX$17.5K

-39.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 $1,303

$666 MX$12.3K

95.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$1,821 MX$33.7K

40.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,176 $2,176

$1,271 MX$23.5K

71.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,663 $2,663

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-34.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,667 $2,667

$2,348 MX$43.4K

13.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,031 $5,031

$1,155 MX$21.3K

335.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

11.79

-45.72%

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

Last update for Robinson, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Robinson, IL

$1.3K 55.5%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 48.8% $636

Groceries & Markets

Robinson, IL

$321 13.7%

Monterrey

$304 19% 5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Robinson, IL

$305 13%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 44.6% $136

Eating Out

Robinson, IL

$236 10.1%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 6.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Robinson, IL

$101 4.3%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 53.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Robinson, IL

$66 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 38.1% $25

Getting Around

Robinson, IL

$17 * 0.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 141% $24

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 $570 in Robinson, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Robinson, IL pays 336% 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: $54.0 in Robinson, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $321 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Robinson, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

05:39 5:39 AM

1 h behind Robinson, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,443

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Robinson, IL Monterrey 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Robinson, 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

Robinson, IL vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Robinson, IL and Monterrey differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,349 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 336% higher in Robinson, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $570 in Robinson, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $399 in Robinson, IL versus $673 in Monterrey. 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 $54.0 in Robinson, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,349 in Robinson, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Robinson, 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, Robinson, 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Robinson, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.