Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $1,334 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Merida

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,334

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,334 per month in Merida vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Merida $1,334
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $2,174 per month in Merida vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Merida $2,174
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $3,014 per month in Merida vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Merida $3,014
Montreal $4,092

Merida is about 33% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Merida and Montreal sit above the global median – Merida by 0%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.90 MX$255

$19.31 CA$27.52

-28.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 MX$1,022

$75.5 CA$108

-26.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 MX$149

$10.63 CA$15.15

-23.71%

Cappuccino

$3.97 MX$73.0

$3.93 CA$5.60

1.02%

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

$1.14 MX$21.00

$1.92 CA$2.73

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.67

$1.48 CA$2.11

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 MX$56.4

$6.30 CA$8.98

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 MX$71.1

$7.19 CA$10.24

-46.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MX$29.30

$2.22 CA$3.17

-27.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 MX$48.41

$3.06 CA$4.36

-13.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.83

$2.94 CA$4.19

-41.16%

Eggs

$1.97 MX$36.18

$3.53 CA$5.03

-44.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 MX$189

$13.19 CA$18.79

-21.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$11.24 CA$16.02

-31.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.54 MX$230

$13.81 CA$19.69

-9.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$50.9

$3.40 CA$4.85

-18.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MX$25.89

$1.44 CA$2.06

-2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.21

$3.26 CA$4.65

-34.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$2.88 CA$4.10

-27.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.25

$1.86 CA$2.65

26.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.53

$1.82 CA$2.60

0.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.27

$2.43 CA$3.46

-41.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 MX$20.80

$1.52 CA$2.17

-25.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 MX$81.4

$11.45 CA$16.32

-61.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 MX$200

$10.36 CA$14.76

5.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 MX$27.06

$2.22 CA$3.16

-33.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 MX$46.08

$2.82 CA$4.02

-10.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.36

$2.58 CA$3.67

-74.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.76 MX$363

$76.9 CA$110

-74.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 MX$50.1

$3.25 CA$4.64

-16.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.76 MX$69.1

$1.48 CA$2.11

154.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.82 MX$162

$33.04 CA$47.09

-73.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$29.04

$1.36 CA$1.94

16.18%

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

$21.5K MX$393.9K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-21.77%

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

$24.4K MX$447.1K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

21.90%

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

$113 MX$2,076

$76.1 CA$109

48.52%

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

$21.35 MX$392

$34.68 CA$49.43

-38.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.42 MX$650

$42.69 CA$60.9

-17.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.12 MX$553

$28.94 CA$41.26

4.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 MX$217

$20.33 CA$28.97

-41.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 MX$139

$11.21 CA$15.98

-32.47%

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

$266 MX$4,880

$505 CA$720

-47.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,584 MX$65.8K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-77.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 MX$1,020

$58.5 CA$83.4

-4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 MX$995

$38.00 CA$54.2

42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 MX$1,869

$92.7 CA$132

9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 MX$1,602

$106 CA$151

-17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 MX$11.6K

$1,240 CA$1,768

-48.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 MX$8,585

$986 CA$1,405

-52.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 MX$22.8K

$2,102 CA$2,996

-40.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 MX$17.8K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-40.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,252 MX$41.4K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-55.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,234 MX$22.7K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-67.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 MX$11.1K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-79.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.64

4.46

160.99%

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

Last update for Merida: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$468 34.7%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 111% $518

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$270 20%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 27.4% $74

Eating Out

Merida

$216 16%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 35.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$170 12.6%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 9.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$134 10%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 1.3% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$45 3.4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 13.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Merida

$44 3.3%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 122% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $634 in Merida versus $1,240 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 383% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Merida versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $344 – making Merida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Merida

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

01:09 1:09 AM

2 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

975,000

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 = 20.59 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

Merida Montreal 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Merida
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

Merida vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,001 per month in Merida and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $266 per month in Merida and $505 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Merida, where all-in costs run around $1,334, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Merida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Merida – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Merida. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.