Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Brookings, SD

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,599 a month against $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
126

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

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,599

/mo nomad

Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Monterrey vs $2,592 in Brookings, SD, rent included.

Monterrey $1,599
Brookings, SD $2,592

A couple spends around $2,493 per month in Monterrey vs $3,536 in Brookings, SD, rent included.

Monterrey $2,493
Brookings, SD $3,536

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Monterrey vs $4,480 in Brookings, SD, rent included.

Monterrey $3,387
Brookings, SD $4,480

Monterrey is about 38% cheaper than Brookings, SD, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Brookings, SD sit above the global median – Monterrey by 18%, Brookings, SD by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 MX$255

$17.52 $17.52

-21.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.99 MX$887

$39.50 $39.50

21.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 MX$197

$11.37 $11.37

-6.33%

Cappuccino

$3.99 MX$73.7

$4.59 $4.59

-13.07%

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

$1.66 MX$30.76

$2.52 $2.52

-34.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.21

$1.96 $1.96

-49.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 MX$43.64

$6.08 $6.08

-61.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 MX$81.8

$7.03 $7.03

-36.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MX$33.58

$0.84 $0.84

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 MX$52.4

$3.49 $3.49

-18.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.44

$6.54 $6.54

-70.64%

Eggs

$2.48 MX$45.78

$3.56 $3.56

-30.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$10.38 $10.38

13.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.10 MX$168

$13.83 $13.83

-34.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.53 MX$232

$13.02 $13.02

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 MX$61.6

$5.92 $5.92

-43.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 MX$29.10

$1.83 $1.83

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 MX$39.86

$6.55 $6.55

-67.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 MX$45.65

$5.21 $5.21

-52.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.64

$4.39 $4.39

-47.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 MX$49.47

$4.11 $4.11

-34.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 MX$26.90

$2.36 $2.36

-38.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 MX$22.07

$1.95 $1.95

-38.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$13.03 $13.03

-63.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 MX$251

$11.88 $11.88

14.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 MX$35.52

$2.86 $2.86

-32.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 MX$53.2

$5.76 $5.76

-50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 MX$14.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.36 MX$579

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 MX$29.44

$5.03 $5.03

-68.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.58

$1.68 $1.68

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.80 MX$200

$23.76 $23.76

-54.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 MX$28.59

$1.03 $1.03

50.49%

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

$24.2K MX$446.4K

$30.2K $30.2K

-19.96%

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

$24.3K MX$449.4K

$26.3K $26.3K

-7.61%

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

$117 MX$2,159

$178 $178

-34.44%

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

$26.38 MX$488

$54.1 $54.1

-51.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.04 MX$481

$70.7 $70.7

-63.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.26 MX$559

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.25 MX$393

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 MX$96.6

$11.83 $11.83

-55.79%

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

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,338 $1,338

-49.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K MX$205.2K

$36.3K $36.3K

-69.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 MX$1,332

$42.60 $42.60

69.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.38 MX$783

$34.98 $34.98

21.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,066

$88.0 $88.0

26.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,200

$104 $104

14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 MX$17.5K

$1,663 $1,663

-42.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 MX$12.3K

$1,419 $1,419

-53.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,821 MX$33.7K

$2,083 $2,083

-12.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 MX$23.5K

$2,037 $2,037

-37.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 MX$74.8K

$2,622 $2,622

54.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,348 MX$43.4K

$2,872 $2,872

-18.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,155 MX$21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

5.5

114.36%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brookings, SD: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$666 41.7%

Brookings, SD

$1.4K 54.8% 113% $753

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$304 19%

Brookings, SD

$420 16.2% 37.8% $115

Eating Out

Monterrey

$221 13.9%

Brookings, SD

$292 11.3% 31.7% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$169 10.6%

Brookings, SD

$303 11.7% 79.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$155 9.7%

Brookings, SD

$121 4.7% 21.9% $34

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5% 67.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9% 41.9% $17

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $949 in Monterrey versus $1,663 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 $48.00 in Monterrey versus $39.00 in Brookings, SD. Groceries tell a different story – $304 in Monterrey vs $420 in Brookings, SD – so Monterrey wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

18,802

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Monterrey Brookings, SD 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
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

Monterrey vs Brookings, SD: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 62% more than Monterrey, 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 $2,399 per month in Monterrey and $3,888 in Brookings, SD. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Monterrey and $39.00 in Brookings, SD. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Brookings, SD, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Brookings, SD at $2,592. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Monterrey costs $1,599 versus $2,592 in Brookings, SD. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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