Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,057

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,057 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $1,608 in Monterrey, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $2,057
Monterrey $1,608

A couple spends around $3,104 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $2,521 in Monterrey, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $3,104
Monterrey $2,521

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Brownsville, TX vs $3,433 in Monterrey, rent included.

Brownsville, TX $4,150
Monterrey $3,433

Brownsville, TX costs about 28% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Brownsville, TX and Monterrey sit above the global median – Brownsville, TX by 52%, Monterrey by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 $19.82

$13.85 MX$256

43.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$49.70 MX$918

48.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 $11.31

$11.05 MX$204

2.35%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.09 MX$75.6

33.74%

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

$2.70 $2.70

$1.68 MX$30.97

60.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.03 MX$18.98

91.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$2.40 MX$44.28

152.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.31 $7.31

$4.35 MX$80.3

68.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.92 MX$35.55

-53.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.94 MX$54.2

-25.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.88 MX$34.66

127.13%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$2.55 MX$47.06

10.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 $9.46

$11.84 MX$219

-20.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.74 $11.74

$9.36 MX$173

25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 $16.61

$13.10 MX$242

26.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.38 MX$62.5

44.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.52 MX$28.13

5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.19 MX$40.51

95.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$2.36 MX$43.63

100.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.26 MX$41.76

23.01%

Onion (1kg)

$3.00 $3.00

$2.73 MX$50.5

9.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.52 MX$28.17

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.24 MX$22.90

78.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.05 $9.05

$4.75 MX$87.8

90.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 $14.57

$13.66 MX$252

6.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.89 MX$34.95

8.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.99 MX$55.2

13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.85 MX$15.78

109.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.68 MX$30.98

75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.13 MX$20.87

51.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.81 $32.81

$11.15 MX$206

194.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.56 MX$28.91

-45.51%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$21.4K MX$395.8K

45.15%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$25.1K MX$463.2K

-1.08%

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

$201 $201

$119 MX$2,206

68.36%

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

$74.4 $74.4

$26.21 MX$484

183.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.8 $77.8

$26.78 MX$495

190.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.21 $41.21

$31.03 MX$573

32.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$14.55 $14.55

$5.29 MX$97.7

175.05%

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

$1,400 $1,400

$691 MX$12.8K

102.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$11.5K MX$212.1K

94.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$72.3 MX$1,335

-22.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 $38.23

$42.72 MX$789

-10.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 $87.2

$110 MX$2,024

-20.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 $109

$117 MX$2,158

-6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 $958

$970 MX$17.9K

-1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$664 MX$12.3K

19.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$1,857 MX$34.3K

-8.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,396 $1,396

$1,287 MX$23.8K

8.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,858 $1,858

$4,162 MX$76.9K

-55.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,819 $1,819

$2,349 MX$43.4K

-22.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,146 MX$21.2K

178.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

11.79

-42.66%

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

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 10, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brownsville, TX

$796 38.7%

Monterrey

$664 41.3% 16.6% $133

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$366 17.8%

Monterrey

$310 19.3% 15.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$353 17.2%

Monterrey

$172 10.7% 51.2% $181

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$322 15.6%

Monterrey

$225 14% 30.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$131 6.4%

Monterrey

$154 9.6% 17.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$70 3.4%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 40.8% $29

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$19 * 0.9%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 124% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Brownsville, TX versus $970 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 179% higher in Brownsville, TX, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Brownsville, TX versus $50.0 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $310 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

00:13 12:13 AM

1 h behind Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Brownsville, TX Monterrey 280 km

From you

Brownsville, TX
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, $1,608 in Monterrey – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,086 per month in Brownsville, TX and $2,412 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX and $1,608 in Monterrey. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $1,400 per month in Brownsville, TX and $691 in Monterrey. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Brownsville, TX at $2,057. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brownsville, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Monterrey to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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