Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $2,639 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brookings, SD 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 Brookings, SD and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,639 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,674 in Mexico City, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,639
Mexico City $1,674

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,606 in Mexico City, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,597
Mexico City $2,606

A family of three spends $4,556 per month in Brookings, SD vs $3,537 in Mexico City, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,556
Mexico City $3,537

Brookings, SD costs about 58% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brookings, SD and Mexico City sit above the global median – Brookings, SD by 95%, Mexico City by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$10.59 MX$197

63.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 $39.21

$52.0 MX$967

-24.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$10.73 MX$200

7.36%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.80 MX$70.6

18.95%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.61 MX$30.01

52.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.21 MX$22.55

66.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.18 MX$59.1

83.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$5.44 MX$101

25.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.72 MX$31.96

-48.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.97 MX$55.2

23.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.93 MX$35.84

233.68%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.77 MX$51.6

27.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$11.67 MX$217

-11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$9.48 MX$176

44.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$15.37 MX$286

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$3.10 MX$57.8

84.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.96 MX$36.49

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$1.98 MX$36.88

233.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.34 MX$43.46

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.02 MX$37.66

120.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.82 MX$33.95

134.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.54 MX$28.74

48.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.31 MX$24.42

54.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 $12.84

$5.35 MX$99.6

140.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$16.19 MX$301

-25.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.96 MX$36.46

47.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$4.35 MX$81.0

33.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$1.92 MX$35.68

155.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$0.47 MX$8.80

255.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$5.41 MX$101

339.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.48 MX$27.61

-29.73%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$21.4K MX$397.7K

38.32%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.8K MX$442.1K

9.01%

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

$184 $184

$62.0 MX$1,154

197.47%

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

$57.3 $57.3

$28.47 MX$530

101.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$34.11 MX$635

103.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$6.59 MX$123

82.55%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$434 MX$8,081

203.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$14.0K MX$261.2K

161.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 $42.51

$68.4 MX$1,272

-37.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$54.8 MX$1,020

-36.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$111 MX$2,063

-20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$116 MX$2,158

-9.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$1,179 MX$21.9K

45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$771 MX$14.3K

89.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-20.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,420 MX$26.4K

48.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 $2,339

$3,586 MX$66.7K

-34.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$2,064 MX$38.4K

15.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.35

-51.54%

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

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 47.2% $689

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$421 16%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 23.1% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 60% $187

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9%

Mexico City

$201 12% 30.5% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 29.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 197% $47

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 88.7% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Brookings, SD versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD versus $52 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $421 in Brookings, SD vs $324 in Mexico City – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brookings, SD Mexico City 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
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

Brookings, SD vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 58% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Brookings, SD and $2,510 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,179 there versus $1,715 in Brookings, SD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD and $52 in Mexico City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Brookings, SD, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,639 in Brookings, SD and $1,674 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.