Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Burnaby, Canada
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Burnaby
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,678
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Burnaby $4,976

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 40% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$21.23 CA$29.79
-49.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$86.5 CA$121
-44.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$9.53 CA$13.37
8.60%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$4.67 CA$6.56
-20.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$2.45 CA$3.44
-31.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$1.80 CA$2.52
-29.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
$8.57 CA$12.03
-62.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
$6.18 CA$8.67
-14.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$2.34 CA$3.28
-26.50%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$2.76 CA$3.88
10.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$3.52 CA$4.95
-44.89%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$3.17 CA$4.45
-8.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$14.05 CA$19.72
-21.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$14.07 CA$19.75
-34.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$25.31 CA$35.52
-40.22%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$4.42 CA$6.20
-31.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.28 CA$1.80
51.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$4.61 CA$6.47
-55.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$4.61 CA$6.48
-49.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$2.81 CA$3.95
-27.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$3.54 CA$4.96
-49.15%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$2.74 CA$3.84
-45.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$2.10 CA$2.95
-39.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$14.23 CA$19.96
-62.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
$13.39 CA$18.79
20.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
$2.05 CA$2.88
-3.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
$2.33 CA$3.27
82.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
$2.54 CA$3.56
-87.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
$81.6 CA$115
-75.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$2.88 CA$4.04
-36.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$1.51 CA$2.12
-64.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$26.45 CA$37.12
-79.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$1.37 CA$1.92
10.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$28.5K CA$40.1K
-23.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$20.9K CA$29.4K
14.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$126 CA$177
-50.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$44.96 CA$63.1
-39.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$52.7 CA$74.0
-32.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
$31.23 CA$43.83
88.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
$10.52 CA$14.77
124.71%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$14.23 CA$19.97
-55.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$649 CA$910
-33.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$52.2 CA$73.3
30.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$51.4 CA$72.1
3.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$103 CA$145
4.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$79.0 CA$111
48.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$1,693 CA$2,376
-34.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$1,406 CA$1,973
-49.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$2,623 CA$3,681
-1.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$1,985 CA$2,786
-29.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
$6,886 CA$9,663
-47.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$5,338 CA$7,491
-60.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Burnaby
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$3,149 CA$4,419
-69.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
4.76
138.45%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Burnaby
$1.4K 97.9% $696
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Burnaby
$431 34.9% $111
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Burnaby
$327 64.5% $128
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Burnaby
$129 17.4% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Burnaby
$224 77.7% $98
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Burnaby
$60 16.8% $12
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Burnaby
$102 301% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $87 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $431 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇨🇦 Burnaby
🕒 Local time
15:35 3:35 PM
14:35 2:35 PM
1 h behind Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
249,125
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Burnaby 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Burnaby

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
Mexico City vs Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Mexico City and in Burnaby?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Mexico City is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Mexico City and in Burnaby?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Mexico City and Burnaby?
Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How far does $3,000 go in Mexico City compared to Burnaby?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Mexico City and Burnaby?
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.
Where should expats move: Mexico City or Burnaby?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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