Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rock Island, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Rock Island, IL
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Rock Island, IL Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Rock Island, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,664

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,664 in Rock Island, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Rock Island, IL $2,664
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,843 in Rock Island, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Rock Island, IL $3,843
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,023 in Rock Island, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Rock Island, IL $5,023
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Rock Island, IL is roughly 67% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rock Island, IL 97% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.07 $20.07

$13.80 MX$255

45.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 $67.2

$47.99 MX$887

39.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.84 $12.84

$10.65 MX$197

20.56%

Cappuccino

$5.90 $5.90

$3.99 MX$73.7

47.87%

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

$3.14 $3.14

$1.66 MX$30.76

89.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$0.99 MX$18.21

142.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$2.36 MX$43.64

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$4.43 MX$81.8

79.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.82 MX$33.58

-48.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.83 MX$52.4

24.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.92 MX$35.44

120.31%

Eggs

$3.71 $3.71

$2.48 MX$45.78

49.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$11.74 MX$217

28.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$9.10 MX$168

44.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.09 $20.09

$12.53 MX$232

60.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.34 MX$61.6

41.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.57 MX$29.10

3.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.16 MX$39.86

138.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$2.47 MX$45.65

93.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.31 MX$42.64

21.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.68 MX$49.47

16.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.46 MX$26.90

47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.19 MX$22.07

103.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

$4.75 MX$87.8

125.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.51 $15.51

$13.58 MX$251

14.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.92 MX$35.52

38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.88 MX$53.2

51.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$0.79 MX$14.66

130.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 $3.96

$1.59 MX$29.44

149.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.06 MX$19.58

87.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.24 $44.24

$10.80 MX$200

309.63%

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)

$31.2K $31.2K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

29.08%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

5.41%

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

$267 $267

$117 MX$2,159

128.52%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$26.38 MX$488

98.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.6 $80.6

$26.04 MX$481

209.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.16 $45.16

$30.26 MX$559

49.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$5.23 MX$96.6

189.10%

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

$1,719 $1,719

$673 MX$12.4K

155.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.8K $23.8K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

114.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 $64.5

$72.1 MX$1,332

-10.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$42.38 MX$783

19.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$112 MX$2,066

-3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$119 MX$2,200

0.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 $1,812

$949 MX$17.5K

90.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,239 $1,239

$666 MX$12.3K

85.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,614 $2,614

$1,821 MX$33.7K

43.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 $2,021

$1,271 MX$23.5K

58.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 $2,912

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-28.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 $2,284

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-2.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.79

-43.26%

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

Last update for Rock Island, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rock Island, IL

$1.2K 46.5%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 46.2% $572

Groceries & Markets

Rock Island, IL

$431 16.2%

Monterrey

$304 19% 29.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rock Island, IL

$400 15%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 57.7% $231

Eating Out

Rock Island, IL

$343 12.9%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 35.5% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Rock Island, IL

$154 5.8%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Rock Island, IL

$75 2.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 46% $35

Getting Around

Rock Island, IL

$21 * 0.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 95.5% $20

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 $1,812 in Rock Island, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Rock Island, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $431 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rock Island, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h behind Rock Island, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,108

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 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).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rock Island, IL Monterrey 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Rock Island, 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

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

Rock Island, IL and Monterrey differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($2,664 vs $1,599 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Rock Island, IL and $2,399 in Monterrey 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: $1,812 in Rock Island, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,719 in Rock Island, 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 $67.0 in Rock Island, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,664 in Rock Island, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Rock Island, 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 67% less than in Rock Island, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.