Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Brookings, SD

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
125

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

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Brookings, SD

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 Brookings, SD actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mexico City is about 37% cheaper than Brookings, SD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$17.36 $17.36

-39.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$39.21 $39.21

32.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$11.52 $11.52

-6.86%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.7

$4.52 $4.52

-15.93%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.46 $2.46

-34.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$2.01 $2.01

-39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$5.85 $5.85

-45.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$6.81 $6.81

-20.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$0.89 $0.89

93.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$3.68 $3.68

-19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$6.44 $6.44

-70.03%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.52 $3.52

-21.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$10.38 $10.38

12.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$13.66 $13.66

-30.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$12.99 $12.99

18.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$5.72 $5.72

-45.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.81 $1.81

8.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$6.61 $6.61

-70.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$5.07 $5.07

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$4.46 $4.46

-54.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$4.27 $4.27

-57.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$2.28 $2.28

-32.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$2.03 $2.03

-35.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$12.84 $12.84

-58.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$12.05 $12.05

34.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.89 $2.89

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$5.81 $5.81

-25.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$4.90 $4.90

-60.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.67 $1.67

-71.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$23.75 $23.75

-77.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.04 $1.04

42.31%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$29.6K $29.6K

-27.71%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$25.9K $25.9K

-8.26%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$184 $184

-66.38%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$57.3 $57.3

-50.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$69.4 $69.4

-50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$12.03 $12.03

-45.22%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$1,316 $1,316

-67.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$36.7K $36.7K

-61.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$42.51 $42.51

60.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$34.79 $34.79

57.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$88.7 $88.7

25.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,159

$105 $105

10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$1,715 $1,715

-31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$1,459 $1,459

-47.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$2,051 $2,051

25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$2,107 $2,107

-32.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

$2,339 $2,339

53.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

$2,374 $2,374

-13.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.5

106.36%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3% 89.3% $689

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Brookings, SD

$421 16% 30.1% $97

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9% 43.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6% 22.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8% 150% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9% 66.4% $47

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5% 47% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $1,715 in Brookings, SD. 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $39 in Brookings, SD. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Mexico City vs $421 in Brookings, SD – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🕒 Local time

11:36 11:36 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

18,802

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Brookings, SD

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 Brookings, SD: 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 $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $3,958 in Brookings, SD. 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 $52 in Mexico City and $39 in Brookings, SD. 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 $1,674 in Mexico City and $2,639 in Brookings, SD, 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.