Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexicali and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $949 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
Learn more

Mexicali Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
Learn more

Toronto Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$949

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexicali and in Toronto

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

A single person spends $949 per month in Mexicali vs $2,530 in Toronto, rent included.

Mexicali $949
Toronto $2,530

A couple spends around $1,525 per month in Mexicali vs $3,646 in Toronto, rent included.

Mexicali $1,525
Toronto $3,646

A family of three spends $2,101 per month in Mexicali vs $4,761 in Toronto, rent included.

Mexicali $2,101
Toronto $4,761

Mexicali is about 62% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mexicali sits 29% below the global median, while Toronto is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.10 MX$222

$17.67 CA$25.19

-31.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.24 MX$629

$77.4 CA$110

-55.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 MX$123

$10.47 CA$14.93

-36.10%

Cappuccino

$3.43 MX$62.9

$4.08 CA$5.81

-15.93%

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

$1.34 MX$24.60

$2.12 CA$3.02

-36.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 MX$20.65

$1.76 CA$2.51

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 MX$59.2

$6.17 CA$8.80

-47.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 MX$78.2

$6.89 CA$9.82

-38.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MX$22.10

$2.43 CA$3.46

-50.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 MX$43.96

$2.75 CA$3.92

-13.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.33

$2.23 CA$3.18

-30.94%

Eggs

$2.76 MX$50.7

$3.45 CA$4.91

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 MX$44.48

$8.93 CA$12.73

-72.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 MX$110

$11.44 CA$16.31

-47.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 MX$122

$14.61 CA$20.83

-54.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.85

$3.75 CA$5.34

-56.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.74

$1.15 CA$1.64

21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 MX$25.78

$3.55 CA$5.06

-60.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.98

$4.28 CA$6.10

-61.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 MX$25.91

$1.85 CA$2.63

-23.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.03

$1.67 CA$2.38

-14.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$2.22 CA$3.16

-39.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MX$15.66

$1.21 CA$1.72

-29.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 MX$73.7

$13.88 CA$19.78

-71.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 MX$148

$14.25 CA$20.31

-43.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 MX$35.61

$2.20 CA$3.13

-11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 MX$71.6

$2.42 CA$3.45

61.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 MX$19.20

$2.42 CA$3.44

-56.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.15 MX$645

$111 CA$158

-68.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 MX$52.1

$2.90 CA$4.13

-2.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 MX$41.57

$1.26 CA$1.80

79.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.06 MX$350

$22.03 CA$31.40

-13.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.60

$1.22 CA$1.74

9.84%

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

$21.7K MX$399.3K

$27.6K CA$39.4K

-21.29%

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

$24.4K MX$447.3K

$19.8K CA$28.3K

22.91%

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

$47.14 MX$866

$122 CA$174

-61.32%

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

$22.65 MX$416

$32.03 CA$45.66

-29.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.19 MX$554

$47.92 CA$68.3

-37.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.21 MX$720

$38.90 CA$55.5

0.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 MX$305

$23.24 CA$33.12

-28.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.08 MX$75.0

$12.61 CA$17.97

-67.64%

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

$210 MX$3,860

$834 CA$1,189

-74.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,724 MX$86.7K

$23.3K CA$33.3K

-79.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.95 MX$642

$52.6 CA$75.0

-33.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.98 MX$605

$40.26 CA$57.4

-18.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 MX$1,420

$96.2 CA$137

-19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.03 MX$698

$123 CA$175

-69.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 MX$18.3K

$1,598 CA$2,278

-37.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 MX$5,059

$1,435 CA$2,045

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,357 MX$24.9K

$2,657 CA$3,787

-48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 MX$10.2K

$2,096 CA$2,988

-73.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,638 MX$48.4K

$8,033 CA$11.5K

-67.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,474 MX$27.1K

$6,557 CA$9,347

-77.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$860 MX$15.8K

$3,743 CA$5,335

-77.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.07

4.47

170.02%

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

Last update for Mexicali: October 6, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexicali

$276 29.1%

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4% 421% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Mexicali

$197 20.8%

Toronto

$340 13.1% 72.6% $143

Eating Out

Mexicali

$192 20.3%

Toronto

$282 10.9% 46.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexicali

$100 10.5%

Toronto

$202 7.8% 102% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Mexicali

$83 8.7%

Toronto

$140 5.4% 70.2% $58

Getting Around

Mexicali

$53 5.6%

Toronto

$130 5% 142% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Mexicali

$47 5%

Toronto

$64 2.5% 35.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $998 in Mexicali versus $1,598 in Toronto. 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 335% higher in Toronto, 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 $34.00 in Mexicali versus $77.0 in Toronto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $340 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

3 h ahead of Mexicali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

854,186

2,731,571

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexicali Toronto 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexicali
Toronto

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

Mexicali vs Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $949 in Mexicali, $2,530 in Toronto – roughly 167% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,423 per month in Mexicali and $3,795 in Toronto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 73% more in Toronto, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Mexicali and $77.0 in Toronto. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $949, than in Toronto at $2,530. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toronto it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mexicali – 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 Mexicali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toronto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.