Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Charles, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Saint Charles, IL
Learn more

Saint Charles, IL Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint Charles, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,710

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Saint Charles, IL $2,710
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,230 in Saint Charles, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Saint Charles, IL $4,230
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,749 in Saint Charles, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Saint Charles, IL $5,749
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Saint Charles, IL is roughly 69% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Saint Charles, IL 100% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$38.02 $38.02

$13.80 MX$255

175.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$47.99 MX$887

107.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 $10.63

$10.65 MX$197

-0.19%

Cappuccino

$6.85 $6.85

$3.99 MX$73.7

71.68%

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

$3.37 $3.37

$1.66 MX$30.76

103.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$0.99 MX$18.21

210.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 $7.03

$2.36 MX$43.64

197.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.54 $7.54

$4.43 MX$81.8

70.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.82 MX$33.58

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$2.83 MX$52.4

25.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.23 $4.23

$1.92 MX$35.44

120.31%

Eggs

$4.57 $4.57

$2.48 MX$45.78

84.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 $12.33

$11.74 MX$217

5.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 $11.47

$9.10 MX$168

26.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.85 $12.85

$12.53 MX$232

2.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 $5.08

$3.34 MX$61.6

52.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.57 MX$29.10

-35.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.16 MX$39.86

100.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.47 MX$45.65

93.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$2.31 MX$42.64

19.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.68 MX$49.47

13.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.46 MX$26.90

7.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.19 MX$22.07

87.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.41 $11.41

$4.75 MX$87.8

140.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$13.58 MX$251

11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.92 MX$35.52

0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.88 MX$53.2

20.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.79 MX$14.66

155.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.59 MX$29.44

103.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.06 MX$19.58

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 $32.52

$10.80 MX$200

201.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 MX$28.59

-36.13%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

7.62%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

7.20%

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

$195 $195

$117 MX$2,159

67.30%

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

$66.6 $66.6

$26.38 MX$488

152.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.9 $70.9

$26.04 MX$481

172.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.09 $43.09

$30.26 MX$559

42.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$5.23 MX$96.6

181.84%

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

$1,358 $1,358

$673 MX$12.4K

101.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K $26.2K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

136.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 $51.1

$72.1 MX$1,332

-29.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.30 $39.30

$42.38 MX$783

-7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 $75.7

$112 MX$2,066

-32.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 $131

$119 MX$2,200

10.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,800 $1,800

$949 MX$17.5K

89.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 $1,277

$666 MX$12.3K

91.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,543 $2,543

$1,821 MX$33.7K

39.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,472 $2,472

$1,271 MX$23.5K

94.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,065 $3,065

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-24.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,620 $2,620

$2,348 MX$43.4K

11.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

11.79

-44.27%

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

Last update for Saint Charles, 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

Saint Charles, IL

$1.3K 47.1%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 47.8% $611

Eating Out

Saint Charles, IL

$494 18.2%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 55.2% $273

Groceries & Markets

Saint Charles, IL

$380 14%

Monterrey

$304 19% 19.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Charles, IL

$333 12.3%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 49.2% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Charles, IL

$134 4.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 16.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Charles, IL

$73 2.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 43.9% $32

Getting Around

Saint Charles, IL

$20 * 0.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 112% $22

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 $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $100 in Saint Charles, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Saint Charles, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

10:59 10:59 AM

1 h behind Saint Charles, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,329

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Saint Charles, 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

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

Saint Charles, IL and Monterrey differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($2,710 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 $4,065 in Saint Charles, 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: $1,800 in Saint Charles, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,358 in Saint Charles, 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 $100 in Saint Charles, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,710 in Saint Charles, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Saint Charles, 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, Saint Charles, 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 69% less than in Saint Charles, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.