Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Gatineau

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,023 in Gatineau, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Gatineau
Learn more

Gatineau Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Gatineau

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $2,023 in Gatineau, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Gatineau $2,023

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $3,045 in Gatineau, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Gatineau $3,045

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $4,068 in Gatineau, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Gatineau $4,068

Mexico City is about 23% cheaper than Gatineau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mexico City and Gatineau sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Gatineau by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$12.84 CA$18.15

-16.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$83.7 CA$118

-39.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$10.40 CA$14.70

6.73%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.05 CA$4.32

20.66%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.39 CA$1.97

18.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.30 CA$1.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$4.17 CA$5.90

-20.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$6.39 CA$9.03

-13.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$1.86 CA$2.63

-4.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.84 CA$4.02

7.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$5.20 CA$7.35

-61.35%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$3.30 CA$4.66

-16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$11.73 CA$16.59

1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$9.60 CA$13.57

-2.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$10.73 CA$15.17

39.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$3.97 CA$5.61

-22.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$1.86 CA$2.63

4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$4.60 CA$6.50

-55.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$4.48 CA$6.34

-50.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$2.15 CA$3.04

-6.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$2.41 CA$3.41

-24.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.12 CA$2.99

-28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$2.58 CA$3.65

-50.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$11.86 CA$16.77

-55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$12.29 CA$17.38

31.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.85 CA$4.03

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.30 CA$4.67

28.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$3.21 CA$4.54

-90.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

$79.3 CA$112

-74.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$4.77 CA$6.75

-58.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$2.34 CA$3.31

-77.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$32.27 CA$45.62

-82.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.20 CA$1.70

26.67%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$27.5K CA$38.9K

-23.64%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$18.4K CA$26.1K

36.49%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$110 CA$156

-43.36%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$35.67 CA$50.4

-19.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$46.70 CA$66.0

-26.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$45.79 CA$64.7

24.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

$29.56 CA$41.80

-16.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$10.59 CA$14.96

-37.02%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$539 CA$762

-20.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$130.7K CA$184.7K

-91.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$69.0 CA$97.5

2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$42.41 CA$60.0

22.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$84.7 CA$120

28.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$117 CA$166

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$1,069 CA$1,512

-1.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$934 CA$1,321

-28.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$1,800 CA$2,545

30.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$1,469 CA$2,077

-16.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$5,154 CA$7,286

-31.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$6,067 CA$8,577

-67.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$2,590 CA$3,661

-62.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.64

143.53%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Gatineau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Gatineau

$934 46.2% 40.5% $269

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Gatineau

$364 18% 12.9% $42

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Gatineau

$215 10.6% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Gatineau

$141 7% 8.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Gatineau

$193 9.5% 53.3% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Gatineau

$67 3.3% 4.9% $3.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Gatineau

$109 5.4% 321% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $1,069 in Gatineau. 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 166% higher in Gatineau, 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 $50.0 in Mexico City versus $84.0 in Gatineau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $364 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇦 Gatineau

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

291,041

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Gatineau 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Gatineau

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 Gatineau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gatineau costs about 29% more than Mexico City, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $3,034 in Gatineau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,567 in Mexico City and $2,023 in Gatineau. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 300% less in Mexico City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Gatineau at $2,023. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gatineau it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mexico City costs $1,567 versus $2,023 in Gatineau. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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