Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Courtenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,184 in Courtenay, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Courtenay, Canada
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Courtenay
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,184
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $2,184 in Courtenay, rent included.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Courtenay $2,184

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $3,080 in Courtenay, rent included.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Courtenay $3,080

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,975 in Courtenay, rent included.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Courtenay $3,975

Mexico City is about 26% cheaper than Courtenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Courtenay sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Courtenay by 60%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$200
$14.38 CA$20.09
-26.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$909
$57.2 CA$79.9
-15.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$194
$9.76 CA$13.64
6.05%
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$69.4
$3.68 CA$5.14
0.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.32
$2.04 CA$2.85
-18.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.78
$1.55 CA$2.17
-18.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$60.0
$5.79 CA$8.09
-44.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$99.7
$5.74 CA$8.02
-7.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.41
$2.41 CA$3.37
-28.63%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$57.1
$2.05 CA$2.87
48.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$2.08 CA$2.91
-6.73%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$54.3
$3.20 CA$4.47
-9.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$206
$10.17 CA$14.20
7.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$174
$9.20 CA$12.85
0.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$284
$19.79 CA$27.64
-23.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$57.3
$3.30 CA$4.61
-7.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.48
$1.31 CA$1.83
48.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.06
$2.35 CA$3.28
-13.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.50
$3.07 CA$4.29
-24.76%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$38.25
$2.65 CA$3.71
-23.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.83
$2.15 CA$3.00
-16.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.80
$2.07 CA$2.89
-28.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.82
$1.64 CA$2.29
-22.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$99.7
$14.20 CA$19.84
-62.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$303
$10.89 CA$15.22
47.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$37.27
$2.59 CA$3.62
-23.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.9
$2.44 CA$3.40
74.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.73
$1.94 CA$2.71
-84.02%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$371
$42.49 CA$59.4
-53.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.53
$2.75 CA$3.84
-33.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$10.03
$1.40 CA$1.96
-62.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$99.5
$17.82 CA$24.89
-70.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.39
$1.28 CA$1.78
17.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$408.8K
$20.8K CA$29.1K
4.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$450.8K
$18.2K CA$25.5K
31.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,184
$139 CA$194
-54.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$515
$36.71 CA$51.3
-25.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$670
$65.3 CA$91.3
-45.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,108
$42.38 CA$59.2
39.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$444
$38.49 CA$53.8
-38.58%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$120
$10.78 CA$15.06
-40.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,111
$648 CA$906
-33.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$214.7K
$12.3K CA$17.2K
-7.20%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,282
$56.9 CA$79.5
19.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$999
$45.43 CA$63.5
16.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,026
$78.5 CA$110
37.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,204
$59.8 CA$83.5
96.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.9K
$1,219 CA$1,703
-8.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.4K
$1,137 CA$1,588
-37.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.6K
$2,043 CA$2,854
26.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.4K
$1,629 CA$2,277
-13.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$68.2K
$5,318 CA$7,429
-31.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$40.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Courtenay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.8K
$3,239 CA$4,525
-70.79%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
4.87
133.06%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Courtenay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Courtenay
$1.1K 60% $426
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Courtenay
$331 3.5% $11
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Courtenay
$243 22.5% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Courtenay
$108 30.6% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Courtenay
$241 91.2% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Courtenay
$64 10.9% $7.8
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Courtenay
$60 136% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,219 in Courtenay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Courtenay are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $57 in Courtenay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $331 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇨🇦 Courtenay
🕒 Local time
22:13 10:13 PM
21:13 9:13 PM
1 h behind Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
25,599
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Courtenay 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Courtenay

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 Courtenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mexico City cheaper than Courtenay?
Yes – Courtenay is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $3,276 in Courtenay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Mexico City and Courtenay?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,219 in Courtenay. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do food prices compare in Mexico City and in Courtenay?
Groceries cost about 3% more in Courtenay, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is eating out cheaper in Mexico City or in Courtenay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $57 in Courtenay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $3,000 enough for either Mexico City or Courtenay?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,184 in Courtenay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Mexico City or Courtenay more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mexico City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Courtenay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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