Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London, Canada and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,343 in London, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,343

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,343 in London versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

London $2,343
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,375 in London versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

London $3,375
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,408 in London versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

London $4,408
Monterrey $3,504

Living in London is roughly 43% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 73% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.71 CA$30.67

$13.37 MX$249

62.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.0 CA$91.8

$47.95 MX$892

35.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 CA$17.64

$10.79 MX$201

15.76%

Cappuccino

$3.90 CA$5.51

$3.77 MX$70.0

3.45%

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

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.51 MX$28.09

45.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$1.03 MX$19.14

114.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.26 CA$8.85

$2.48 MX$46.14

152.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.30 CA$8.90

$4.36 MX$81.0

44.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.89 MX$35.23

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$2.85 MX$53.0

-7.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.56

$1.86 MX$34.52

111.29%

Eggs

$3.71 CA$5.24

$2.47 MX$45.86

50.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.97 CA$14.08

$11.81 MX$220

-15.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 CA$16.54

$8.97 MX$167

30.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 CA$21.82

$12.57 MX$234

22.83%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 CA$6.19

$3.20 MX$59.4

36.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.77

$1.50 MX$27.96

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$2.12 MX$39.52

83.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 CA$5.87

$2.33 MX$43.39

78.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.39

$2.22 MX$41.34

40.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 CA$4.58

$2.58 MX$48.07

25.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CA$3.54

$1.45 MX$26.88

73.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.22 MX$22.72

27.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 CA$17.13

$4.80 MX$89.2

152.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 CA$18.16

$13.30 MX$247

-3.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$1.93 MX$35.93

31.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$2.86 MX$53.1

2.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$0.80 MX$14.85

208.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.0 CA$113

$30.94 MX$575

158.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.62

$1.83 MX$34.08

40.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 CA$2.32

$1.06 MX$19.66

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.18 CA$31.33

$10.82 MX$201

104.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.47 MX$27.39

-19.05%

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

$27.1K CA$38.2K

$24.1K MX$447.9K

12.35%

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

$23.0K CA$32.5K

$23.5K MX$437.7K

-2.24%

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

$141 CA$199

$115 MX$2,132

22.85%

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

$40.31 CA$57.0

$26.37 MX$490

52.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$25.70 MX$478

123.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.84 CA$50.6

$30.53 MX$568

17.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.49 CA$41.66

$21.27 MX$396

38.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.68 CA$15.08

$4.96 MX$92.2

115.32%

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

$424 CA$598

$679 MX$12.6K

-37.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K CA$30.5K

$14.2K MX$263.8K

52.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 CA$77.3

$72.2 MX$1,343

-24.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.35 CA$55.6

$41.94 MX$780

-6.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 CA$117

$107 MX$1,999

-23.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 CA$129

$119 MX$2,207

-22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 CA$1,827

$1,018 MX$18.9K

27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,140 CA$1,611

$722 MX$13.4K

58.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,100 CA$2,966

$1,966 MX$36.6K

6.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 CA$2,396

$1,416 MX$26.3K

19.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,121 CA$5,822

$4,203 MX$78.2K

-1.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,416 CA$4,826

$2,782 MX$51.7K

22.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,116 CA$4,402

$1,096 MX$20.4K

184.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

11.79

-59.97%

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

Last update for London: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.1K 48.7%

Monterrey

$722 44% 36.7% $419

Groceries & Markets

London

$366 15.6%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 17.5% $64

Eating Out

London

$320 13.6%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 32.5% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$238 10.2%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 30.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

London

$121 5.2%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 26.8% $32

Getting Around

London

$101 4.3%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 59% $59

Sport & Entertainment

London

$57 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 29.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,293 in London and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $65 in London vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h behind London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.708 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 USD

100 MXN = 4.83 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 November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.708 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 18.6 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.72 MXN (100 MXN = 4.83 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

London Monterrey 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

London
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

London vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in London is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,293 in London versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,343 per month in London versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Monterrey runs roughly 61% less than in London. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.