Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Brooklyn, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, rent and utilities included – about $31,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Brooklyn, NY
🇺🇸 United States
$4,230
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Brooklyn, NY

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 Brooklyn, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Monterrey vs $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY, rent included.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Brooklyn, NY $4,230

A couple spends around $2,573 per month in Monterrey vs $6,364 in Brooklyn, NY, rent included.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Brooklyn, NY $6,364

A family of three spends $3,504 per month in Monterrey vs $8,497 in Brooklyn, NY, rent included.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Brooklyn, NY $8,497

Monterrey is about 61% cheaper than Brooklyn, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Monterrey and Brooklyn, NY sit above the global median – Monterrey by 21%, Brooklyn, NY by 213%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$250
$20.37 $20.37
-34.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$897
$107 $107
-55.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$202
$11.86 $11.86
-9.02%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.4
$5.49 $5.49
-31.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.26
$2.64 $2.64
-42.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.25
$2.27 $2.27
-54.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.41
$7.82 $7.82
-68.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$81.5
$8.90 $8.90
-51.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.43
$1.67 $1.67
13.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.3
$4.58 $4.58
-37.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.71
$7.02 $7.02
-73.50%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$46.12
$6.59 $6.59
-62.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$221
$16.57 $16.57
-28.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$168
$17.01 $17.01
-47.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$235
$19.96 $19.96
-37.02%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$59.8
$7.93 $7.93
-59.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$28.12
$3.68 $3.68
-59.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.74
$5.23 $5.23
-59.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.64
$6.04 $6.04
-61.42%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.58
$4.02 $4.02
-44.78%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.34
$4.79 $4.79
-46.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$27.04
$2.64 $2.64
-45.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.85
$2.43 $2.43
-49.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$89.7
$15.04 $15.04
-68.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$249
$21.33 $21.33
-37.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$36.14
$2.74 $2.74
-29.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.4
$3.26 $3.26
-12.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$14.94
$2.94 $2.94
-72.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$579
$183 $183
-83.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.28
$2.96 $2.96
-38.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.78
$2.14 $2.14
-50.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$202
$42.63 $42.63
-74.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.54
$1.14 $1.14
28.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$450.4K
$31.2K $31.2K
-22.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.2K
$25.9K $25.9K
-9.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,144
$219 $219
-47.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$493
$60.5 $60.5
-56.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$481
$61.3 $61.3
-58.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$571
$123 $123
-75.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$398
$35.28 $35.28
-39.71%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$92.8
$20.06 $20.06
-75.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.7K
$3,022 $3,022
-77.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$265.3K
$52.2K $52.2K
-72.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,350
$70.0 $70.0
3.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$784
$76.8 $76.8
-45.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,011
$122 $122
-11.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,219
$118 $118
0.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$19.0K
$3,827 $3,827
-73.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.5K
$2,454 $2,454
-70.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$36.8K
$7,537 $7,537
-73.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.5K
$4,441 $4,441
-68.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$78.6K
$12.4K $12.4K
-66.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$52.0K
$7,713 $7,713
-63.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Brooklyn, NY
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.5K
$3,614 $3,614
-69.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
6.78
73.89%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Brooklyn, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Brooklyn, NY
$2.5K 240% $1.7K
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Brooklyn, NY
$549 81.6% $247
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Brooklyn, NY
$341 58% $125
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Brooklyn, NY
$341 105% $174
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Brooklyn, NY
$174 13.8% $21
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Brooklyn, NY
$208 405% $167
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Brooklyn, NY
$163 303% $122

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,018 in Monterrey versus $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Brooklyn, NY are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey versus $107 in Brooklyn, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $549 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇺🇸 Brooklyn, NY
🕒 Local time
13:27 1:27 PM
14:27 2:27 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
2,736,074
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Brooklyn, NY 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Brooklyn, NY

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 Brooklyn, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Monterrey and in Brooklyn, NY compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey, $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY – Monterrey comes out roughly 61% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Monterrey compared to Brooklyn, NY?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Monterrey and $6,346 in Brooklyn, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Monterrey and Brooklyn, NY?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $3,827 in Brooklyn, NY.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Monterrey and $107 in Brooklyn, NY. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Monterrey or Brooklyn, NY?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY. That makes Monterrey about 61% cheaper.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Brooklyn, NY at $4,230. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brooklyn, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Monterrey and Brooklyn, NY?
It depends on your priorities. Brooklyn, NY has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,641 in Monterrey to $4,230 in Brooklyn, NY. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Monterrey and Brooklyn, NY?
If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brooklyn, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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