Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ottawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
Learn more

Ottawa Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,416 in Ottawa.

Mexico City $1,548
Ottawa $2,416

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,537 in Ottawa.

Mexico City $2,436
Ottawa $3,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,658 in Ottawa.

Mexico City $3,323
Ottawa $4,658

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 36% less than in Ottawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Ottawa 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$17.62 CA$24.91

-37.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$78.6 CA$111

-38.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$10.61 CA$15.00

2.73%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$4.04 CA$5.71

-8.91%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$2.08 CA$2.94

-21.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.75 CA$2.48

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.71 CA$8.08

-43.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$6.47 CA$9.14

-14.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.40 CA$3.39

-29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.96 CA$4.19

2.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$2.88 CA$4.07

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.23 CA$4.57

-15.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$11.51 CA$16.27

2.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$11.61 CA$16.41

-17.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$19.02 CA$26.90

-24.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.74 CA$5.29

-19.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.27 CA$1.79

48.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$3.90 CA$5.52

-48.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.61 CA$5.10

-39.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.57 CA$3.64

-25.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.39 CA$3.38

-21.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.61 CA$3.69

-44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$1.47 CA$2.08

-13.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$14.45 CA$20.43

-63.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$12.47 CA$17.63

29.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$2.61 CA$3.68

-27.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$3.18 CA$4.50

32.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.93 CA$4.14

-88.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$94.6 CA$134

-79.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$2.68 CA$3.79

-25.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$1.53 CA$2.16

-66.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$19.08 CA$26.98

-72.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.23 CA$1.74

23.58%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

-19.93%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$22.3K CA$31.5K

10.03%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$139 CA$196

-56.06%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$37.37 CA$52.8

-23.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$51.1 CA$72.3

-32.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$48.10 CA$68.0

17.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$27.89 CA$39.43

-10.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$12.68 CA$17.93

-47.48%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$928 CA$1,311

-53.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-27.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$57.3 CA$81.0

18.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$37.28 CA$52.7

39.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$103 CA$146

2.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$97.5 CA$138

15.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,437 CA$2,031

-28.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$1,215 CA$1,717

-46.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$2,310 CA$3,266

-0.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,871 CA$2,645

-33.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$4,326 CA$6,115

-16.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$4,547 CA$6,428

-57.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,730 CA$5,274

-74.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.16

171.63%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3% 85.6% $560

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Ottawa

$373 15.4% 17.1% $54

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Ottawa

$278 11.5% 36.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Ottawa

$133 5.5% 12.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Ottawa

$227 9.4% 83.3% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ottawa

$73 3% 5.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Ottawa

$117 4.8% 355% $91

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,437 in Ottawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays 287% 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 $79.0 in Ottawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $373 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

18:54 6:54 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,000,000 Capital

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Ottawa 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Ottawa

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 Ottawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Ottawa differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,416 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 287% lower in Ottawa. 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 $1,437 in Ottawa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 381% less than in Ottawa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $928 in Ottawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,416 in Ottawa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ottawa. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Ottawa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.