Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Brownsville, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
100

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

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Brownsville, TX

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 Brownsville, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Brownsville, TX $2,057

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $3,104 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Brownsville, TX $3,104

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $4,150 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Brownsville, TX $4,150

Mexico City is about 24% cheaper than Brownsville, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Brownsville, TX sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Brownsville, TX by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$19.82 $19.82

-45.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$73.6 $73.6

-31.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$11.31 $11.31

-1.86%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$5.47 $5.47

-32.72%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$2.70 $2.70

-38.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.97 $1.97

-34.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$6.05 $6.05

-45.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$7.31 $7.31

-24.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$0.89 $0.89

98.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.19 $2.19

39.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$4.27 $4.27

-52.93%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.83 $2.83

-2.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$9.46 $9.46

25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$11.74 $11.74

-20.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$16.61 $16.61

-9.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$4.89 $4.89

-37.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.61 $1.61

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$4.28 $4.28

-52.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.74 $4.74

-53.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.78 $2.78

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.00 $3.00

-39.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.09 $2.09

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.21 $2.21

-42.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$9.05 $9.05

-41.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$14.57 $14.57

10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.06 $2.06

-5.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.39 $3.39

25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.78 $1.78

-82.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.94 $2.94

-31.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$1.71 $1.71

-69.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$32.81 $32.81

-82.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$0.85 $0.85

78.82%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$31.1K $31.1K

-32.35%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$24.8K $24.8K

1.55%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$201 $201

-68.91%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$74.4 $74.4

-61.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$77.8 $77.8

-55.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$41.21 $41.21

38.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$14.55 $14.55

-54.16%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$1,400 $1,400

-69.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$22.4K $22.4K

-47.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$55.7 $55.7

27.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$38.23 $38.23

35.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$87.2 $87.2

24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$109 $109

2.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$958 $958

9.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$796 $796

-16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,694 $1,694

38.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,396 $1,396

-12.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$1,858 $1,858

91.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$1,819 $1,819

8.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$3,198 $3,198

-69.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

6.76

67.16%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Brownsville, TX

$796 38.7% 19.7% $131

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Brownsville, TX

$366 17.8% 13.6% $44

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Brownsville, TX

$322 15.6% 58.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Brownsville, TX

$131 6.4% 15.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Brownsville, TX

$353 17.2% 181% $228

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Brownsville, TX

$70 3.4% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Brownsville, TX

$19 * 0.9% 27.8% $7.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $958 in Brownsville, TX. 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 228% 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 $50.0 in Mexico City versus $74.0 in Brownsville, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $366 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🕒 Local time

01:37 1:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

186,738

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Brownsville, TX

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 Brownsville, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City, $2,057 in Brownsville, TX – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $3,086 in Brownsville, TX. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,567 in Mexico City and $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $431 per month in Mexico City and $1,400 in Brownsville, TX. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Brownsville, TX at $2,057. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brownsville, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,567 in Mexico City to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. 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.