Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockford, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,166 in Rockford, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Rockford, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Rockford, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Rockford, IL $2,166
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,480 in Rockford, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Rockford, IL $3,480
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,794 in Rockford, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Rockford, IL $4,794
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Rockford, IL is roughly 35% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rockford, IL 60% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.72 $15.72

$13.80 MX$255

13.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$47.99 MX$887

53.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 $9.97

$10.65 MX$197

-6.38%

Cappuccino

$5.03 $5.03

$3.99 MX$73.7

26.07%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.66 MX$30.76

69.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.99 MX$18.21

101.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.36 MX$43.64

94.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$4.43 MX$81.8

54.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.82 MX$33.58

-54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.83 MX$52.4

20.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$1.92 MX$35.44

176.04%

Eggs

$2.91 $2.91

$2.48 MX$45.78

17.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 $10.07

$11.74 MX$217

-14.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.99 $13.99

$9.10 MX$168

53.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.79 $16.79

$12.53 MX$232

34.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.34 MX$61.6

43.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.57 MX$29.10

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.16 MX$39.86

75.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$2.47 MX$45.65

108.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.31 MX$42.64

6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.68 MX$49.47

-3.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.46 MX$26.90

52.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.19 MX$22.07

55.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.97 $10.97

$4.75 MX$87.8

130.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.82 $15.82

$13.58 MX$251

16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.92 MX$35.52

3.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$2.88 MX$53.2

-35.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 $1.52

$0.79 MX$14.66

92.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 $55.5

$31.36 MX$579

76.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.59 MX$29.44

72.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.06 MX$19.58

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.70 $20.70

$10.80 MX$200

91.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.55 MX$28.59

-32.90%

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

$33.5K $33.5K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

38.68%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

7.57%

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

$192 $192

$117 MX$2,159

64.58%

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

$45.71 $45.71

$26.38 MX$488

73.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.1 $71.1

$26.04 MX$481

172.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.82 $41.82

$30.26 MX$559

38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.44 $25.44

$21.25 MX$393

19.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.03 $14.03

$5.23 MX$96.6

168.26%

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

$520 $520

$673 MX$12.4K

-22.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,074 $4,074

$11.1K MX$205.2K

-63.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.23 $45.23

$72.1 MX$1,332

-37.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 $35.80

$42.38 MX$783

-15.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 $93.1

$112 MX$2,066

-16.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$119 MX$2,200

-5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 $1,293

$949 MX$17.5K

36.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 $925

$666 MX$12.3K

38.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,298 $2,298

$1,821 MX$33.7K

26.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 $2,040

$1,271 MX$23.5K

60.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,476 $1,476

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-63.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 $1,421

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-39.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 $3,398

$1,155 MX$21.3K

194.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

11.79

-44.95%

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

Last update for Rockford, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockford, IL

$925 42.7%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 28% $259

Groceries & Markets

Rockford, IL

$389 17.9%

Monterrey

$304 19% 21.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockford, IL

$309 14.3%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 45.2% $140

Eating Out

Rockford, IL

$272 12.6%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 18.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Rockford, IL

$129 6%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 20.4% $26

Getting Around

Rockford, IL

$72 3.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 42.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rockford, IL

$70 3.2%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 41.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,293 in Rockford, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockford, IL pays 194% 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: $74.0 in Rockford, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Rockford, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind Rockford, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,655

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 →

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Between locations

Rockford, IL Monterrey 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rockford, 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

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

Rockford, IL and Monterrey differ by about 35% in total monthly costs ($2,166 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 194% higher in Rockford, 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: $1,293 in Rockford, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $74.0 in Rockford, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,166 per month in Rockford, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,166 in Rockford, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Rockford, 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 35% less than in Rockford, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.