Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Brownsville, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
Learn more

Brownsville, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Monterrey vs $2,057 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $1,608
Brownsville, TX $2,057

A couple spends around $2,521 per month in Monterrey vs $3,104 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $2,521
Brownsville, TX $3,104

A family of three spends $3,433 per month in Monterrey vs $4,150 in Brownsville, TX, rent included.

Monterrey $3,433
Brownsville, TX $4,150

Monterrey is about 22% cheaper than Brownsville, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Monterrey and Brownsville, TX sit above the global median – Monterrey by 19%, Brownsville, TX by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$256

$19.82 $19.82

-30.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$918

$73.6 $73.6

-32.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$204

$11.31 $11.31

-2.30%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.6

$5.47 $5.47

-25.23%

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

$1.68 MX$30.97

$2.70 $2.70

-37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.98

$1.97 $1.97

-47.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.28

$6.05 $6.05

-60.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$80.3

$7.31 $7.31

-40.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.55

$0.89 $0.89

115.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.2

$2.19 $2.19

34.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.66

$4.27 $4.27

-55.97%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$47.06

$2.83 $2.83

-9.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$219

$9.46 $9.46

25.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$173

$11.74 $11.74

-20.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$242

$16.61 $16.61

-21.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$4.89 $4.89

-30.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.61 $1.61

-5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.51

$4.28 $4.28

-48.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.63

$4.74 $4.74

-50.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.76

$2.78 $2.78

-18.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.00 $3.00

-9.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.17

$2.09 $2.09

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.90

$2.21 $2.21

-43.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.8

$9.05 $9.05

-47.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$252

$14.57 $14.57

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.95

$2.06 $2.06

-8.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$55.2

$3.39 $3.39

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.78

$1.78 $1.78

-52.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$572

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.98

$2.94 $2.94

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.87

$1.71 $1.71

-33.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$206

$32.81 $32.81

-66.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.91

$0.85 $0.85

83.53%

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

$21.4K MX$395.8K

$31.1K $31.1K

-31.11%

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

$25.1K MX$463.2K

$24.8K $24.8K

1.09%

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

$119 MX$2,206

$201 $201

-40.60%

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

$26.21 MX$484

$74.4 $74.4

-64.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$495

$77.8 $77.8

-65.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$573

$41.21 $41.21

-24.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$396

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$14.55 $14.55

-63.64%

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

$691 MX$12.8K

$1,400 $1,400

-50.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$212.1K

$22.4K $22.4K

-48.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,335

$55.7 $55.7

29.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$789

$38.23 $38.23

11.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,024

$87.2 $87.2

25.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,158

$109 $109

6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.9K

$958 $958

1.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.3K

$796 $796

-16.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.3K

$1,694 $1,694

9.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.8K

$1,396 $1,396

-7.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.9K

$1,858 $1,858

123.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.4K

$1,819 $1,819

29.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.2K

$3,198 $3,198

-64.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

6.76

74.41%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Brownsville, TX

$796 38.7% 20% $133

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Brownsville, TX

$366 17.8% 18% $56

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Brownsville, TX

$322 15.6% 43.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Brownsville, TX

$353 17.2% 105% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Brownsville, TX

$131 6.4% 14.9% $23

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Brownsville, TX

$19 * 0.9% 55.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Brownsville, TX

$70 3.4% 69% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $970 in Monterrey 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 179% 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 Monterrey versus $74.0 in Brownsville, TX. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $366 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Brownsville, TX 280 km

From you

Monterrey
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

Monterrey vs Brownsville, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey, $2,057 in Brownsville, TX – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Monterrey 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 Monterrey, 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 $1,608 in Monterrey and $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $691 per month in Monterrey 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Monterrey, where all-in costs run around $1,608, than in Brownsville, TX at $2,057. In Monterrey it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brownsville, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,608 in Monterrey to $2,057 in Brownsville, TX. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. 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.