Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Mexico

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,276 a month against $2,288 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,288

/mo nomad

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in Mexico

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

A single person spends $2,288 per month in Canada vs $1,276 in Mexico, rent included.

Canada $2,288
Mexico $1,276

A couple spends around $3,318 per month in Canada vs $2,023 in Mexico, rent included.

Canada $3,318
Mexico $2,023

A family of three spends $4,348 per month in Canada vs $2,770 in Mexico, rent included.

Canada $4,348
Mexico $2,770

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($878–$3,623) than in Mexico ($738–$2,646), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 79% higher than in Mexico on average.

Canada sits 69% above the global median, while Mexico is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 CA$24.66

$10.91 MX$202

59.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 CA$97.3

$44.51 MX$822

54.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 CA$15.13

$9.21 MX$170

16.18%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.42

$3.55 MX$65.6

7.89%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$1.43 MX$26.34

41.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.07 MX$19.83

53.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 CA$7.68

$2.73 MX$50.4

98.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 CA$8.12

$4.40 MX$81.3

30.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CA$3.03

$1.61 MX$29.74

32.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.74 MX$50.7

-3.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$1.72 MX$31.76

101.16%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.00

$2.57 MX$47.55

37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 CA$15.12

$9.34 MX$173

14.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 CA$16.77

$8.13 MX$150

45.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 CA$20.98

$11.62 MX$215

27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.71

$2.94 MX$54.3

37.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.62 MX$29.95

-15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.72 CA$5.26

$2.08 MX$38.41

78.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 CA$5.65

$1.91 MX$35.21

108.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.07 MX$38.22

27.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$2.05 MX$37.86

16.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CA$3.55

$1.44 MX$26.69

74.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.47

$1.10 MX$20.33

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.07 CA$19.90

$4.64 MX$85.7

203.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.32 CA$18.83

$10.76 MX$199

23.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 CA$4.05

$1.79 MX$33.08

59.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 CA$4.47

$3.33 MX$61.5

-5.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$0.63 MX$11.61

296.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.5 CA$101

$27.08 MX$500

164.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 CA$4.38

$2.77 MX$51.2

11.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$2.76 MX$51.1

-48.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.16 CA$36.98

$11.03 MX$204

137.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.47 MX$27.17

-19.73%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$20.8K MX$384.4K

34.61%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$24.2K MX$446.9K

-22.09%

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

$148 CA$210

$69.1 MX$1,278

114.74%

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

$42.44 CA$60.0

$23.20 MX$429

82.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.5 CA$82.7

$28.94 MX$535

102.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.65 CA$57.5

$36.82 MX$680

10.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.99 CA$26.84

$18.19 MX$336

4.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 CA$15.90

$5.29 MX$97.7

112.67%

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

$753 CA$1,064

$264 MX$4,887

184.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K CA$20.2K

$6,272 MX$115.9K

127.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 CA$74.2

$56.8 MX$1,050

-7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.23 CA$54.0

$41.50 MX$767

-7.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 CA$124

$99.0 MX$1,828

-11.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$89.5 MX$1,654

15.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 CA$1,747

$714 MX$13.2K

73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CA$1,583

$469 MX$8,674

138.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,996 CA$2,822

$1,323 MX$24.5K

50.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,714 CA$2,423

$901 MX$16.7K

90.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,503 CA$6,365

$2,553 MX$47.2K

76.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,888 CA$5,497

$1,467 MX$27.1K

165.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,921 CA$4,129

$768 MX$14.2K

280.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

11.44

-57.43%

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

Last update for Canada: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Mexico

$469 36.8% 58.1% $650

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$366 16%

Mexico

$273 21.4% 25.5% $93

Eating Out

Canada

$271 11.9%

Mexico

$190 14.9% 29.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.9%

Mexico

$121 9.5% 51.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Mexico

$129 10.1% 1.9% $2.4

Getting Around

Canada

$92 4%

Mexico

$46 3.6% 49.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$63 2.8%

Mexico

$47 3.7% 25% $16

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,199 in Canada vs $617 in Mexico. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,473 in Ottawa and $1,051 in Mexico City.

Average salary: $2,892 in Canada vs $735 in Mexico. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 94% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 47% more in Canada.

Public transport is 383% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 293% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇲🇽 Mexico

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

2 h behind Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

124,777,324

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canada Mexico 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
Mexico

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

Canada vs Mexico: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 79% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,199 versus $617 in Mexico.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mexico, adding to the overall 79% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Mexico, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Mexico is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.