Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,405 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Markham versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Markham $2,405
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,496 in Markham versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Markham $3,496
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,587 in Markham versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Markham $4,587
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Markham is roughly 47% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Markham 78% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$24.80

$13.37 MX$251

32.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 CA$74.2

$47.95 MX$900

10.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.12

$10.79 MX$203

Cappuccino

$3.70 CA$5.18

$3.77 MX$70.7

-1.86%

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

$1.81 CA$2.54

$1.51 MX$28.37

19.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.03 MX$19.33

20.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 CA$5.12

$2.48 MX$46.60

47.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$7.89

$4.36 MX$81.8

29.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.89 MX$35.58

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 CA$3.12

$2.85 MX$53.5

-21.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.80

$1.86 MX$34.86

7.53%

Eggs

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.47 MX$46.31

28.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 CA$17.13

$8.97 MX$168

36.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.30 CA$10.23

$12.57 MX$236

-41.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.12

$3.20 MX$60.0

14.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.81

$1.50 MX$28.23

-14.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 CA$3.20

$2.12 MX$39.90

7.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.77

$2.33 MX$43.82

45.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 CA$2.94

$2.22 MX$41.75

-5.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.81

$2.58 MX$48.54

-22.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 CA$3.89

$1.45 MX$27.15

91.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 CA$2.12

$1.22 MX$22.94

23.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.75 CA$19.27

$4.80 MX$90.1

186.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.76 CA$20.69

$13.30 MX$250

10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.41

$1.93 MX$36.28

25.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.86 MX$53.6

10.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 CA$4.15

$0.80 MX$15.00

270.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.7 CA$140

$30.94 MX$581

222.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$1.83 MX$34.42

80.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.16 CA$26.86

$10.82 MX$203

77.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.67

$1.47 MX$27.65

-19.05%

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

$28.6K CA$40.1K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

18.69%

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

$21.5K CA$30.2K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

-8.49%

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

$130 CA$183

$115 MX$2,152

13.79%

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

$26.54 CA$37.20

$26.37 MX$495

0.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.84 CA$64.3

$25.70 MX$483

78.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.81 CA$53.0

$30.53 MX$573

23.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.33 CA$29.89

$21.27 MX$400

0.28%

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 CA$14.51

$4.96 MX$93.1

108.67%

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

$525 CA$735

$679 MX$12.7K

-22.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K CA$33.6K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

69.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.38 CA$60.8

$72.2 MX$1,356

-39.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.49 CA$52.6

$41.94 MX$788

-10.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 CA$132

$107 MX$2,019

-12.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$149

$119 MX$2,228

-10.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 CA$2,299

$1,018 MX$19.1K

61.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 CA$1,902

$722 MX$13.6K

88.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,685 CA$3,764

$1,966 MX$36.9K

36.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,267 CA$3,178

$1,416 MX$26.6K

60.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,308 CA$8,842

$4,203 MX$78.9K

50.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,199 CA$7,288

$2,782 MX$52.2K

86.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,198 CA$4,483

$1,096 MX$20.6K

191.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

11.79

-61.32%

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

Last update for Markham: 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

Markham

$1.4K 56.4%

Monterrey

$722 44% 46.8% $635

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$285 * 11.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 6% $17

Eating Out

Markham

$260 10.8%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 17% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$203 8.4%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 17.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$127 5.3%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.8% $26

Getting Around

Markham

$115 * 4.8%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 64.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$59 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 30.9% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,640 in Markham and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $53 in Markham vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $285 vs $302, with Markham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

1 h behind Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Markham Monterrey 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

Markham vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Monterrey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Markham is about 2.9 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: $1,640 in Markham versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Markham versus $679 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Markham pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Monterrey wins on affordability, Markham on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.