Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Calgary

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,255 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Calgary actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,255 in Calgary.

Mexico City $1,548
Calgary $2,255

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,361 in Calgary.

Mexico City $2,436
Calgary $3,361

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,468 in Calgary.

Mexico City $3,323
Calgary $4,468

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 31% less than in Calgary, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Calgary 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$17.58 CA$24.85

-37.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$69.1 CA$97.6

-29.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.59 CA$14.97

2.93%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.84 CA$5.42

-4.17%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.93 CA$2.72

-15.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.88 CA$2.66

-33.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.09 CA$7.20

-36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$5.64 CA$7.97

-1.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.00 CA$2.82

-15.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.78 CA$3.93

8.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$5.59 CA$7.90

-65.65%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.70 CA$5.23

-26.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.48 CA$16.23

2.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$11.20 CA$15.84

-14.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$18.59 CA$26.28

-22.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$4.70 CA$6.64

-35.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.45 CA$2.05

30.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$4.34 CA$6.13

-54.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.79 CA$5.36

-42.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.69 CA$3.81

-28.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.75 CA$3.88

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.56 CA$3.62

-43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.50 CA$2.12

-15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$14.39 CA$20.34

-63.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$15.81 CA$22.35

2.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.47 CA$3.49

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.10 CA$4.39

36.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.81 CA$3.97

-87.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$90.6 CA$128

-78.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.28 CA$4.64

-39.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.40 CA$1.97

-62.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$26.49 CA$37.45

-79.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.22 CA$1.72

24.59%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$28.4K CA$40.1K

-22.20%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$20.8K CA$29.5K

17.65%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$165 CA$233

-62.91%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$38.24 CA$54.1

-25.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$50.1 CA$70.9

-31.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$53.8 CA$76.1

4.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.04 CA$25.51

37.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$14.04 CA$19.84

-52.56%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$797 CA$1,126

-46.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$15.8K CA$22.3K

-26.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$59.1 CA$83.5

14.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$40.20 CA$56.8

29.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$90.8 CA$128

16.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$109 CA$155

2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,207 CA$1,707

-15.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,011 CA$1,429

-35.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,949 CA$2,756

18.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,677 CA$2,371

-25.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$3,532 CA$4,993

2.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$3,392 CA$4,795

-42.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,152 CA$4,456

-69.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.51

150.55%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Calgary: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Calgary

$1K 44.8% 54.5% $357

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Calgary

$392 17.4% 23.1% $74

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Calgary

$270 12% 32.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Calgary

$135 6% 11.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Calgary

$253 11.2% 104% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Calgary

$82 3.6% 17.5% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Calgary

$112 5% 337% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,207 in Calgary. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 227% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $69.0 in Calgary for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $392 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇦 Calgary

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,267,344

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Calgary 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Calgary

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 Calgary: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 227% lower in Calgary. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,025 in Mexico City versus $1,207 in Calgary. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mexico City – a meal for two runs $49.00 versus $69.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $2,255 in Calgary – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,255 in Calgary, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mexico City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Calgary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.