Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brentwood, CA
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Brentwood, CA Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brentwood, CA and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brentwood, CA and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Brentwood, CA $2,609
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Brentwood, CA $4,005
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Brentwood, CA $5,401
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Brentwood, CA is roughly 69% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brentwood, CA 93% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$11.02 MX$204

127.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$48.68 MX$900

129.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.90 MX$201

38.35%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.68 MX$68.1

51.90%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.63 MX$30.18

87.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.25 MX$23.07

98.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$3.25 MX$60.1

174.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$5.53 MX$102

40.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.70 MX$31.50

-25.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.02 MX$55.8

43.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.92 MX$35.53

147.40%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$2.73 MX$50.5

98.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$11.77 MX$218

109.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$9.53 MX$176

22.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$14.41 MX$266

-8.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.02 MX$55.8

79.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.89 MX$35.01

61.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$1.99 MX$36.70

137.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$2.19 MX$40.38

168.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.92 MX$35.43

71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.87 MX$34.49

106.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.44 MX$26.62

105.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.27 MX$23.39

112.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$5.22 MX$96.4

123.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$16.17 MX$299

-19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.90 MX$35.03

14.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$4.22 MX$78.0

-39.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.34 MX$6.30

470.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.00 MX$36.90

97.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.52 MX$9.67

226.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 $32.36

$5.34 MX$98.7

505.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 MX$28.13

1.32%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

25.30%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

11.37%

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

$137 $137

$61.1 MX$1,129

124.71%

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

$39.77 $39.77

$28.58 MX$528

39.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$34.47 MX$637

80.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 $39.88

$56.4 MX$1,042

-29.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$6.66 MX$123

168.62%

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

$2,330 $2,330

$427 MX$7,891

445.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

104.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$67.8 MX$1,253

-23.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$52.0 MX$960

-23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 $76.2

$106 MX$1,959

-28.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$113 MX$2,080

-47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$1,025 MX$18.9K

74.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$654 MX$12.1K

100.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$2,308 MX$42.7K

10.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$1,242 MX$22.9K

82.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$3,613 MX$66.8K

-24.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$1,936 MX$35.8K

12.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,395 $6,395

$964 MX$17.8K

563.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

11.3

-40.80%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 50% $655

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 31.8% $148

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 48.5% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2%

Mexico City

$124 8% 48.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 49% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 7.9% $6

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 26.7% $5.4

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 $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 563% 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: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

00:02 12:02 AM

1 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

9,209,944 Capital

💱 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

Brentwood, CA Mexico City 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, CA
Mexico City

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

Brentwood, CA vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brentwood, CA and Mexico City differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($2,609 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 563% higher in Brentwood, CA, 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: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Brentwood, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $1,548 in Mexico City – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Brentwood, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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, Brentwood, CA and Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Brentwood, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.