Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Brainerd, MN

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Brainerd, MN
Learn more

Brainerd, MN Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Brainerd, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Brainerd, MN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,445 in Brainerd, MN.

Monterrey $1,608
Brainerd, MN $2,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,439 in Brainerd, MN.

Monterrey $2,521
Brainerd, MN $3,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,433 in Brainerd, MN.

Monterrey $3,433
Brainerd, MN $4,433

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 34% less than in Brainerd, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Brainerd, MN 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$14.72 $14.72

-5.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$37.45 $37.45

32.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$10.12 $10.12

9.19%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$1.93 $1.93

111.92%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.10 $2.10

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.99 $1.99

-48.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$5.95 $5.95

-59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$6.02 $6.02

-27.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.97 $0.97

97.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$3.19 $3.19

-7.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$3.40 $3.40

-44.71%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.54 $2.54

0.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$9.74 $9.74

21.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$9.71 $9.71

-3.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$13.01 $13.01

0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.92 $4.92

-31.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.15 $1.15

32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$6.23 $6.23

-64.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$4.95 $4.95

-52.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$3.82 $3.82

-40.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.56 $3.56

-23.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$2.00 $2.00

-24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$1.73 $1.73

-28.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$12.06 $12.06

-60.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$13.26 $13.26

3.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$1.71 $1.71

10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.54 $3.54

-15.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.98 $1.98

-57.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

$40.39 $40.39

-23.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.55 $2.55

-34.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.58 $1.58

-28.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$30.90 $30.90

-63.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.87 $0.87

79.31%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$35.7K $35.7K

-40.08%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$25.3K $25.3K

-1.07%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$226 $226

-47.15%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$44.47 $44.47

-41.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$60.3 $60.3

-55.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$42.14 $42.14

-26.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$8.80 $8.80

-39.89%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,186 $1,186

-41.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$27.9K $27.9K

-58.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$40.57 $40.57

78.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$40.14 $40.14

6.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$60.5 $60.5

80.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$64.4 $64.4

81.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$1,612 $1,612

-39.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$1,321 $1,321

-49.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$2,516 $2,516

-26.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$2,157 $2,157

-40.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$2,373 $2,373

75.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$2,390 $2,390

-1.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.31

86.85%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brainerd, MN: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Brainerd, MN

$1.3K 54.1% 99.1% $658

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Brainerd, MN

$353 14.4% 13.6% $42

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Brainerd, MN

$229 9.4% 2.2% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Brainerd, MN

$331 13.5% 91.8% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Brainerd, MN

$93 3.8% 39.7% $61

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Brainerd, MN

$59 2.4% 41% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Brainerd, MN

$60 2.4% 43.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $1,612 in Brainerd, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $37.00 in Brainerd, MN. Groceries flip the comparison at $310 vs $353, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Brainerd, MN

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

13,722

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Brainerd, MN 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Brainerd, MN

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

Monterrey vs Brainerd, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Brainerd, MN. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $3,668 in Brainerd, MN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $1,612 in Brainerd, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $37.00 in Brainerd, MN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,608 per month in Monterrey versus $2,445 in Brainerd, MN – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,445 in Brainerd, MN, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Brainerd, MN. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monterrey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monterrey hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Brainerd, MN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.