Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ensenada and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Ensenada: $1,077 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ensenada
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Ensenada Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Ensenada

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,077

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ensenada and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,077 in Ensenada versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Ensenada $1,077
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,707 in Ensenada versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Ensenada $1,707
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,336 in Ensenada versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Ensenada $2,336
Montreal $4,092

Living in Ensenada costs roughly 46% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ensenada is 20% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 MX$220

$19.31 CA$27.52

-37.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.40 MX$632

$75.5 CA$108

-54.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 MX$136

$10.63 CA$15.15

-30.57%

Cappuccino

$3.06 MX$56.2

$3.93 CA$5.60

-22.14%

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

$1.18 MX$21.71

$1.92 CA$2.73

-38.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 MX$12.67

$1.48 CA$2.11

-53.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 MX$52.1

$6.30 CA$8.98

-54.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 MX$73.0

$7.19 CA$10.24

-44.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 MX$32.29

$2.22 CA$3.17

-20.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 MX$48.30

$3.06 CA$4.36

-14.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 MX$31.40

$2.94 CA$4.19

-41.84%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.0

$3.53 CA$5.03

-22.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.54 MX$157

$13.19 CA$18.79

-35.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 MX$124

$11.24 CA$16.02

-39.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 MX$191

$13.81 CA$19.69

-24.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 MX$39.77

$3.40 CA$4.85

-36.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 MX$30.08

$1.44 CA$2.06

13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.37

$3.26 CA$4.65

-44.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.05

$2.88 CA$4.10

-45.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 MX$24.73

$1.86 CA$2.65

-27.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 MX$33.72

$1.82 CA$2.60

1.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.09

$2.43 CA$3.46

-39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 MX$19.07

$1.52 CA$2.17

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 MX$74.5

$11.45 CA$16.32

-64.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 MX$247

$10.36 CA$14.76

29.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 MX$33.18

$2.22 CA$3.16

-18.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.04

$2.82 CA$4.02

-5.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 MX$15.96

$2.58 CA$3.67

-66.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.92 MX$659

$76.9 CA$110

-53.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 MX$54.5

$3.25 CA$4.64

-8.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 MX$36.37

$1.48 CA$2.11

33.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.57 MX$359

$33.04 CA$47.09

-40.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.11

$1.36 CA$1.94

0.74%

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

$20.0K MX$367.4K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-27.03%

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

$24.6K MX$451.5K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

23.10%

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

$48.01 MX$882

$76.1 CA$109

-36.93%

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

$32.03 MX$588

$34.68 CA$49.43

-7.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.68 MX$490

$42.69 CA$60.9

-37.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.95 MX$568

$28.94 CA$41.26

6.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.17 MX$205

$20.33 CA$28.97

-45.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 MX$85.3

$11.21 CA$15.98

-58.52%

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

$197 MX$3,615

$505 CA$720

-61.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,889 MX$89.8K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-69.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 MX$994

$58.5 CA$83.4

-7.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.13 MX$810

$38.00 CA$54.2

16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,892

$92.7 CA$132

11.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 MX$1,064

$106 CA$151

-45.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 MX$9,700

$1,240 CA$1,768

-57.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 MX$6,109

$986 CA$1,405

-66.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 MX$18.5K

$2,102 CA$2,996

-52.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 MX$11.9K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-59.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,345 MX$24.7K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-73.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 MX$12.6K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-82.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$673 MX$12.4K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-76.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.46

153.36%

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

Last update for Ensenada: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ensenada

$333 30.6%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 196% $653

Groceries & Markets

Ensenada

$255 23.5%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 34.6% $88

Eating Out

Ensenada

$184 16.9%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 58.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Ensenada

$117 10.7%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 13.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ensenada

$107 9.8%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 43.8% $47

Getting Around

Ensenada

$52 4.8%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 87.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Ensenada

$40 3.7%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 27.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Ensenada and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 334% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $34.00 in Ensenada vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $344 per month, with Ensenada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Ensenada

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

3 h ahead of Ensenada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

330,652

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ensenada Montreal 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ensenada
Montreal

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

Ensenada vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ensenada and Montreal differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($1,077 vs $2,003 including rent). Ensenada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 334% lower in Montreal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $528 in Ensenada versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,077 per month in Ensenada versus $2,003 in Montreal – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ensenada runs roughly 114% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,077 in Ensenada versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ensenada but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Ensenada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ensenada and Montreal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ensenada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.