Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wheaton, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,571 in Wheaton, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Wheaton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,571 in Wheaton, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey.

Wheaton, IL $2,571
Monterrey $1,599

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,945 in Wheaton, IL versus $2,493 in Monterrey.

Wheaton, IL $3,945
Monterrey $2,493

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,320 in Wheaton, IL versus $3,387 in Monterrey.

Wheaton, IL $5,320
Monterrey $3,387

Living in Wheaton, IL is roughly 61% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Wheaton, IL 90% above, Monterrey 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.13 $16.13

$13.80 MX$255

16.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 $69.3

$47.99 MX$887

44.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.99 $11.99

$10.65 MX$197

12.58%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$3.99 MX$73.7

39.35%

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

$3.08 $3.08

$1.66 MX$30.76

85.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.99 MX$18.21

135.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 $7.09

$2.36 MX$43.64

200.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$4.43 MX$81.8

84.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.82 MX$33.58

-52.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.83 MX$52.4

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.92 MX$35.44

50.00%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$2.48 MX$45.78

47.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 $9.92

$11.74 MX$217

-15.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 $11.07

$9.10 MX$168

21.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 $14.89

$12.53 MX$232

18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.34 MX$61.6

39.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.57 MX$29.10

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.16 MX$39.86

35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.47 MX$45.65

-13.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 $1.70

$2.31 MX$42.64

-26.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.68 MX$49.47

17.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 $1.89

$1.46 MX$26.90

29.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.19 MX$22.07

102.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.98 $8.98

$4.75 MX$87.8

89.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.90 $11.90

$13.58 MX$251

-12.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.92 MX$35.52

17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$2.88 MX$53.2

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.03 $5.03

$0.79 MX$14.66

536.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 $101

$31.36 MX$579

220.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 $4.09

$1.59 MX$29.44

157.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.06 MX$19.58

-24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.88 $43.88

$10.80 MX$200

306.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.55 MX$28.59

-33.55%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$24.2K MX$446.4K

-4.46%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$24.3K MX$449.4K

3.80%

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

$174 $174

$117 MX$2,159

48.53%

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

$51.7 $51.7

$26.38 MX$488

95.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$26.04 MX$481

164.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.62 $34.62

$30.26 MX$559

14.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$12.08 $12.08

$5.23 MX$96.6

130.98%

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

$1,698 $1,698

$673 MX$12.4K

152.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K $23.5K

$11.1K MX$205.2K

111.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 $57.7

$72.1 MX$1,332

-20.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.98 $34.98

$42.38 MX$783

-17.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$112 MX$2,066

-22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$119 MX$2,200

-14.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,011 $2,011

$949 MX$17.5K

111.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 $1,321

$666 MX$12.3K

98.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,753 $2,753

$1,821 MX$33.7K

51.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,583 $2,583

$1,271 MX$23.5K

103.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,537 $5,537

$1,155 MX$21.3K

379.28%

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 Wheaton, 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

Wheaton, IL

$1.3K 51.4%

Monterrey

$666 41.7% 49.6% $655

Groceries & Markets

Wheaton, IL

$337 13.1%

Monterrey

$304 19% 9.6% $32

Eating Out

Wheaton, IL

$305 11.9%

Monterrey

$221 13.9% 27.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wheaton, IL

$294 11.4%

Monterrey

$169 10.6% 42.5% $125

Getting Around

Wheaton, IL

$129 5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 67.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Wheaton, IL

$127 4.9%

Monterrey

$155 9.7% 22.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Wheaton, IL

$59 2.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 30.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,011 in Wheaton, IL and $949 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wheaton, IL pays 379% 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: $69.0 in Wheaton, IL vs $48.00 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $304 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Wheaton, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

22:39 10:39 PM

1 h behind Wheaton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,611

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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Between locations

Wheaton, IL Monterrey 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Wheaton, 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

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

Wheaton, IL and Monterrey differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,571 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 379% higher in Wheaton, 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: $2,011 in Wheaton, 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 $69.0 in Wheaton, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,571 per month in Wheaton, IL versus $1,599 in Monterrey – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,599 in Monterrey versus $2,571 in Wheaton, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Wheaton, 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, Wheaton, 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 61% less than in Wheaton, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.