Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brownsville, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,752

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,752 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $1,752
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,612 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $2,612
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $3,472 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $3,472
Mexico City $3,490

Brownsville, TX costs about 9% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Brownsville, TX and Mexico City sit above the global median – Brownsville, TX by 29%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 $10.13

$10.62 MX$200

-4.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 $59.9

$48.35 MX$909

23.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 $7.95

$10.35 MX$194

-23.19%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.69 MX$69.4

9.21%

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

$2.03 $2.03

$1.67 MX$31.32

21.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.27 MX$23.78

58.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.19 MX$60.0

58.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$5.31 MX$99.7

-3.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.72 MX$32.41

-50.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 $2.24

$3.04 MX$57.1

-26.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.94 MX$36.48

14.43%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$2.89 MX$54.3

-2.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$10.97 MX$206

-15.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$9.25 MX$174

38.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 $9.11

$15.13 MX$284

-39.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$3.05 MX$57.3

-14.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.94 MX$36.48

18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.03 MX$38.06

-17.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.31 MX$43.50

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.04 MX$38.25

42.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.80 MX$33.83

-40.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.48 MX$27.80

-31.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.27 MX$23.82

-19.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 $9.57

$5.30 MX$99.7

80.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$16.10 MX$303

-54.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.98 MX$37.27

3.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$4.25 MX$79.9

-47.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.84 MX$34.53

125.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 $0.77

$0.53 MX$10.03

45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.51 MX$28.39

-43.05%

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

$28.9K $28.9K

$21.8K MX$408.8K

32.91%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$24.0K MX$450.8K

1.42%

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

$162 $162

$63.0 MX$1,184

156.62%

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

$37.04 $37.04

$27.39 MX$515

35.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$35.67 MX$670

88.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.89 $49.89

$58.9 MX$1,108

-15.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 $11.78

$6.40 MX$120

84.06%

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

$595 $595

$432 MX$8,111

37.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 $78.7

$68.2 MX$1,282

15.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.47 $44.47

$53.1 MX$999

-16.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 $75.8

$108 MX$2,026

-29.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$117 MX$2,204

-17.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 $944

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$710 MX$13.4K

12.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-36.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-1.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-48.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,856 $1,856

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-13.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,159 $3,159

$946 MX$17.8K

233.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

11.35

-42.91%

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

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brownsville, TX

$796 45.5%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 10.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$271 15.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 18.1% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$266 15.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 52.6% $140

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$205 11.7%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 3.1% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$133 7.6%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 17.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$73 4.2%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 2.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$8 * 0.5%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 219% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $944 in Brownsville, TX versus $1,113 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.

Salaries in Brownsville, TX are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Brownsville, TX versus $48 in Mexico City. Groceries tell a different story – $271 in Brownsville, TX vs $320 in Mexico City – so Brownsville, TX wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

Same time as Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brownsville, TX Mexico City 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brownsville, TX
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

Brownsville, TX vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,752 in Brownsville, TX, $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,628 per month in Brownsville, TX and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brownsville, TX, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $944 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX and $1,608 in Mexico City. That makes Mexico City about 8% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $595 per month in Brownsville, TX and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,752 in Brownsville, TX and $1,608 in Mexico City, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Mexico City to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brownsville, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.