Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbana, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $1,871 in Urbana, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Urbana, IL
Learn more

Urbana, IL Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

Urbana, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,871

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,871 in Urbana, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Urbana, IL $1,871
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,123 in Urbana, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Urbana, IL $2,123
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,374 in Urbana, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Urbana, IL $2,374
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Urbana, IL is roughly 17% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Urbana, IL 38% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.83 $14.83

$13.80 MX$255

7.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 $59.0

$47.99 MX$887

22.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 $9.95

$10.65 MX$197

-6.57%

Cappuccino

$4.71 $4.71

$3.99 MX$73.7

18.05%

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

$2.25 $2.25

$1.66 MX$30.76

35.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.99 MX$18.21

78.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 $5.46

$2.36 MX$43.64

131.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 $5.65

$4.43 MX$81.8

27.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.82 MX$33.58

-57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 $3.03

$2.83 MX$52.4

7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 $3.01

$1.92 MX$35.44

56.77%

Eggs

$3.82 $3.82

$2.48 MX$45.78

54.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 $12.23

$11.74 MX$217

4.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.95 $8.95

$9.10 MX$168

-1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 $14.14

$12.53 MX$232

12.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.34 MX$61.6

20.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.57 MX$29.10

3.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 $3.18

$2.16 MX$39.86

47.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.47 MX$45.65

83.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.31 MX$42.64

-3.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.68 MX$49.47

-1.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.46 MX$26.90

57.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.19 MX$22.07

15.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.21 $12.21

$4.75 MX$87.8

157.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 $15.22

$13.58 MX$251

12.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.92 MX$35.52

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.88 MX$53.2

21.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.79 MX$14.66

25.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.59 MX$29.44

90.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.06 MX$19.58

-44.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.08 $25.08

$10.80 MX$200

132.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.55 MX$28.59

-25.16%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

14.62%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

8.11%

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

$242 $242

$117 MX$2,159

106.86%

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

$44.28 $44.28

$26.38 MX$488

67.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.7 $60.7

$26.04 MX$481

133.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$13.14 $13.14

$5.23 MX$96.6

151.24%

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

$1,003 $1,003

$673 MX$12.4K

49.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

83.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.69 $48.69

$72.1 MX$1,332

-32.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$42.38 MX$783

19.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 $97.7

$112 MX$2,066

-12.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$119 MX$2,200

1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 $866

$949 MX$17.5K

-8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 $746

$666 MX$12.3K

11.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,774 $1,774

$4,050 MX$74.8K

-56.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,732 $1,732

$2,348 MX$43.4K

-26.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,774 $6,774

$1,155 MX$21.3K

486.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

11.79

-42.15%

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

Last update for Urbana, 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

Urbana, IL

$746 39.9%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 10.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbana, IL

$347 18.5%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 51.2% $177

Groceries & Markets

Urbana, IL

$340 18.2%

Monterrey

$304 19% 10.4% $36

Eating Out

Urbana, IL

$260 13.9%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 14.7% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Urbana, IL

$143 7.6%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 8.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Urbana, IL

$26 * 1.4%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 54.9% $14

Getting Around

Urbana, IL

$10 * 0.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 316% $31

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 $866 in Urbana, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Urbana, IL pays 486% 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: $59.0 in Urbana, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbana, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

1 h behind Urbana, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,250

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

Urbana, IL Monterrey 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Urbana, 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

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

Urbana, IL and Monterrey differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,871 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 486% higher in Urbana, 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: $866 in Urbana, IL versus $949 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,003 in Urbana, 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 $59.0 in Urbana, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $1,871 in Urbana, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Urbana, 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 17% less than in Urbana, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.