Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Brea, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,674 a month against $3,746 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $3,746 in Brea, CA.

Mexico City $1,674
Brea, CA $3,746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $5,108 in Brea, CA.

Mexico City $2,606
Brea, CA $5,108

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $6,470 in Brea, CA.

Mexico City $3,537
Brea, CA $6,470

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 55% less than in Brea, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Brea, CA 177% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$24.77 $24.77

-57.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$76.4 $76.4

-32.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$12.18 $12.18

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$5.79 $5.79

-34.37%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$2.79 $2.79

-42.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$1.95 $1.95

-37.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$7.20 $7.20

-55.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$9.95 $9.95

-45.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$1.19 $1.19

44.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$5.20 $5.20

-42.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$4.28 $4.28

-54.91%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$5.09 $5.09

-45.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$15.61 $15.61

-25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$8.92 $8.92

6.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$13.79 $13.79

11.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$4.64 $4.64

-33.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$1.76 $1.76

11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$4.19 $4.19

-52.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$5.72 $5.72

-59.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$3.62 $3.62

-44.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$3.14 $3.14

-42.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$2.06 $2.06

-25.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$2.23 $2.23

-41.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$11.62 $11.62

-53.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$15.03 $15.03

7.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$1.77 $1.77

10.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.84 $3.84

13.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$4.42 $4.42

-56.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$1.91 $1.91

-75.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$35.52 $35.52

-84.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.64 $1.64

-9.76%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$27.6K $27.6K

-22.51%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$26.8K $26.8K

-11.39%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$213 $213

-70.94%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$70.7 $70.7

-59.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$69.2 $69.2

-50.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$29.63 $29.63

97.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$19.82 $19.82

23.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$19.74 $19.74

-66.62%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$1,159 $1,159

-62.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$12.9K $12.9K

8.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$61.7 $61.7

10.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$41.43 $41.43

32.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$79.8 $79.8

38.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$105 $105

10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$2,208 $2,208

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$2,390 $2,390

-67.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$3,108 $3,108

-17.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$3,476 $3,476

-59.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$5,864 $5,864

-38.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$6,180 $6,180

-66.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$10.0K $10.0K

-90.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

6.31

79.87%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Brea, CA: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.8% 210% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Brea, CA

$412 11% 27.4% $89

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Brea, CA

$379 10.1% 89% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Brea, CA

$129 3.5% 17.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Brea, CA

$353 9.4% 184% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Brea, CA

$69 1.8% 3.4% $2.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4% 44% $11

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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $2,208 in Brea, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $76 in Brea, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $412 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

2 h behind Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

38,585

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Brea, CA 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Brea, CA

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

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

Mexico City wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mexico City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $2,208 in Brea, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $1,159 in Brea, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $52 versus $76 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,674 in Mexico City versus $3,746 in Brea, CA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brea, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Brea, CA on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.