Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zion, IL and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,457 in Zion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Zion, IL
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Zion, IL Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Zion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,457

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,457 in Zion, IL versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Zion, IL $2,457
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,578 in Zion, IL versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Zion, IL $3,578
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,698 in Zion, IL versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Zion, IL $4,698
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Zion, IL is roughly 53% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Zion, IL 83% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 $14.90

$13.75 MX$253

8.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 $61.6

$50.2 MX$924

22.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 $8.14

$11.13 MX$205

-26.86%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$4.04 MX$74.5

33.66%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.70 MX$31.39

25.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.99 MX$18.22

9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$2.41 MX$44.35

131.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.48 MX$82.6

12.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.92 MX$35.42

-48.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.89 MX$53.2

-16.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.94 MX$35.78

112.89%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$2.50 MX$46.05

57.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$12.30 MX$227

-0.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$9.33 MX$172

64.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 $16.44

$13.07 MX$241

25.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.38 MX$62.3

76.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.58 MX$29.12

45.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.20 MX$40.58

108.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.45 MX$45.04

70.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$2.26 MX$41.61

44.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.74 MX$50.5

-1.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.53 MX$28.18

28.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.26 MX$23.23

103.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$4.84 MX$89.2

148.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.54 $14.54

$13.59 MX$250

6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.91 MX$35.12

13.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.06 MX$56.5

33.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.80 MX$14.65

128.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$585

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 $5.37

$1.62 MX$29.88

231.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.10 MX$20.24

164.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 $17.47

$10.97 MX$202

59.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.52 MX$28.03

-27.63%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$21.4K MX$393.7K

70.31%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$25.5K MX$469.1K

6.00%

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

$223 $223

$120 MX$2,205

86.59%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$27.08 MX$499

93.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$26.70 MX$492

146.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.48 $47.48

$31.15 MX$574

52.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$404

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 $11.18

$5.14 MX$94.7

117.51%

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

$1,118 $1,118

$688 MX$12.7K

62.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$11.4K MX$210.5K

8.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.12 $47.12

$71.9 MX$1,325

-34.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.77 $24.77

$43.30 MX$798

-42.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.5 $57.5

$112 MX$2,065

-48.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.6 $50.6

$122 MX$2,244

-58.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 $1,698

$957 MX$17.6K

77.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 $1,468

$670 MX$12.3K

119.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$1,887 MX$34.8K

40.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$1,305 MX$24.0K

52.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,672 $2,672

$4,159 MX$76.6K

-35.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 $2,051

$2,437 MX$44.9K

-15.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.9K

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 Zion, IL: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zion, IL

$1.5K 55.2%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 54.4% $798

Groceries & Markets

Zion, IL

$414 15.6%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 24.5% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zion, IL

$342 12.8%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 49.2% $168

Eating Out

Zion, IL

$259 9.7%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 13.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Zion, IL

$81 3%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 94% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Zion, IL

$70 2.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 40.7% $28

Getting Around

Zion, IL

$27 * 1%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 54.5% $15

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 $1,698 in Zion, IL and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62.0 in Zion, IL vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Zion, IL

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

1 h behind Zion, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,655

1,142,994

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.43 USD

100 MXN = 4.84 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 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 18.42 MXN (100 MXN = 5.43 USD). 1 EUR = 20.64 MXN (100 MXN = 4.84 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zion, IL Monterrey 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zion, 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

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

Zion, IL and Monterrey differ by about 53% in total monthly costs ($2,457 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,686 in Zion, IL and $2,411 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: $1,698 in Zion, IL versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,118 in Zion, IL versus $688 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 $50.0 versus $62.0 in Zion, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,457 in Zion, IL, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Zion, 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 53% less than in Zion, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.