Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston, Canada and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,288 in Kingston, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kingston, Canada
Monterrey, Mexico
Kingston
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,288
/mo nomad
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kingston and in Monterrey

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

A single person spends $2,288 per month in Kingston vs $1,641 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Kingston $2,288
  • Monterrey $1,641

A couple spends around $3,162 per month in Kingston vs $2,573 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Kingston $3,162
  • Monterrey $2,573

A family of three spends $4,035 per month in Kingston vs $3,504 in Monterrey, rent included.

  • Kingston $4,035
  • Monterrey $3,504

Kingston costs about 39% more than Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Kingston and Monterrey sit above the global median – Kingston by 69%, Monterrey by 21%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.42 CA$21.79
$13.37 MX$249
15.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.9 CA$91.7
$47.95 MX$892
35.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.67 CA$15.07
$10.79 MX$201
-1.11%
Cappuccino
$3.42 CA$4.83
$3.77 MX$70.0
-9.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 CA$3.02
$1.51 MX$28.09
41.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 CA$1.89
$1.03 MX$19.14
30.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.68 CA$8.03
$2.48 MX$46.14
129.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.94 CA$8.39
$4.36 MX$81.0
36.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 CA$3.11
$1.89 MX$35.23
16.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.59 CA$3.65
$2.85 MX$53.0
-9.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.08 CA$4.35
$1.86 MX$34.52
65.59%
Eggs
$2.95 CA$4.16
$2.47 MX$45.86
19.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.55 CA$14.91
$11.81 MX$220
-10.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.89 CA$16.80
$8.97 MX$167
32.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.70 CA$16.53
$12.57 MX$234
-6.92%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 CA$4.16
$3.20 MX$59.4
-8.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.21 CA$1.72
$1.50 MX$27.96
-19.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.64 CA$5.15
$2.12 MX$39.52
71.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.83 CA$5.41
$2.33 MX$43.39
64.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.92 CA$4.12
$2.22 MX$41.34
31.53%
Onion (1kg)
$2.44 CA$3.45
$2.58 MX$48.07
-5.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 CA$3.06
$1.45 MX$26.88
49.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 CA$2.29
$1.22 MX$22.72
32.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.14 CA$19.97
$4.80 MX$89.2
194.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.65 CA$17.87
$13.30 MX$247
-4.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.36 CA$3.33
$1.93 MX$35.93
22.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 CA$4.15
$2.86 MX$53.1
2.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.52 CA$3.56
$0.80 MX$14.85
215.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.5 CA$81.2
$30.94 MX$575
85.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.24 CA$4.58
$1.83 MX$34.08
77.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 CA$2.29
$1.06 MX$19.66
52.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$31.10 CA$43.94
$10.82 MX$201
187.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 CA$1.62
$1.47 MX$27.39
-21.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K CA$39.3K
$24.1K MX$447.9K
15.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.3K CA$30.2K
$23.5K MX$437.7K
-9.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 CA$183
$115 MX$2,132
13.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.57 CA$54.5
$26.37 MX$490
46.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.9 CA$88.8
$25.70 MX$478
144.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.77 CA$37.82
$30.53 MX$568
-12.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.92 CA$12.60
$21.27 MX$396
-58.06%
Cinema Ticket
$10.85 CA$15.33
$4.96 MX$92.2
118.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$522 CA$738
$679 MX$12.6K
-23.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.2K CA$17.3K
$14.2K MX$263.8K
-13.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 CA$76.1
$72.2 MX$1,343
-25.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.28 CA$45.60
$41.94 MX$780
-23.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.1 CA$115
$107 MX$1,999
-24.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.6 CA$120
$119 MX$2,207
-28.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,468 CA$2,074
$1,018 MX$18.9K
44.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,227 CA$1,734
$722 MX$13.4K
70.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,338 CA$3,303
$1,966 MX$36.6K
18.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,646 CA$2,326
$1,416 MX$26.3K
16.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,407 CA$4,814
$4,203 MX$78.2K
-18.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,550 CA$3,603
$2,782 MX$51.7K
-8.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kingston
Monterrey
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,098 CA$4,376
$1,096 MX$20.4K
182.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.61
11.79
-60.90%

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

Last update for Kingston: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kingston
$1.2K
Monterrey
$722 41.2% $506
Groceries & Markets
Kingston
$339
Monterrey
$302 10.8% $37
Eating Out
Kingston
$251
Monterrey
$216 13.9% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kingston
$231
Monterrey
$167 27.8% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Kingston
$113
Monterrey
$153 35.1% $40
Getting Around
Kingston
$79
Monterrey
$41 47.7% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Kingston
$48
Monterrey
$40 16.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,468 in Kingston versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kingston are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65 in Kingston versus $48 in Monterrey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $302 – making Monterrey the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Kingston
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🕒 Local time
21:58 9:58 PM
20:58 8:58 PM
1 h behind Kingston
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,363
1,142,994
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.708 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kingston Monterrey 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Kingston
  • Monterrey

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
Kingston vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Kingston and in Monterrey compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,288 in Kingston, $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Kingston compared to Monterrey?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,432 per month in Kingston and $2,461 in Monterrey. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Kingston and Monterrey?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Monterrey, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,018 there versus $1,468 in Kingston.
Which city is more expensive overall: Kingston or Monterrey?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,288 in Kingston and $1,641 in Monterrey. That makes Monterrey about 28% cheaper.
How do commuting costs compare in Kingston and in Monterrey?
Public transport costs about 46% less in Monterrey. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How far does $3,000 go in Kingston compared to Monterrey?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,288 in Kingston and $1,641 in Monterrey, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Kingston and Monterrey?
It depends on your priorities. Monterrey has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,641 in Monterrey to $2,288 in Kingston. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Kingston and Monterrey?
If budget matters most, go with Monterrey. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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