Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Sarnia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,014 in Sarnia, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Sarnia
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Sarnia Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Sarnia

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $2,014 in Sarnia.

Mexico City $1,608
Sarnia $2,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,778 in Sarnia.

Mexico City $2,549
Sarnia $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,543 in Sarnia.

Mexico City $3,490
Sarnia $3,543

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 20% less than in Sarnia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Sarnia 48% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$13.71 CA$19.16

-22.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$46.44 CA$64.9

4.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$10.86 CA$15.17

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.12 CA$4.36

18.27%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.93 CA$2.70

-13.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$1.22 CA$1.71

4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$4.20 CA$5.87

-24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$5.54 CA$7.75

-4.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.27 CA$1.77

35.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.45 CA$3.43

24.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.37 CA$3.31

-18.14%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.96 CA$4.13

-2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.52 CA$16.09

-4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$11.48 CA$16.04

-19.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$14.18 CA$19.82

6.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.39 CA$4.74

-10.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.25 CA$1.74

55.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$3.38 CA$4.72

-39.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$3.52 CA$4.92

-34.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.34 CA$1.87

52.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.86 CA$2.59

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.68 CA$2.35

-11.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.28 CA$1.79

-0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$12.56 CA$17.55

-57.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$10.01 CA$13.98

60.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.53 CA$3.54

-21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$2.83 CA$3.95

50.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$2.37 CA$3.31

-86.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$62.1 CA$86.8

-68.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$2.57 CA$3.59

-28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$1.76 CA$2.46

-69.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$28.33 CA$39.58

-81.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.23 CA$1.72

22.76%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$26.2K CA$36.6K

-16.89%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$21.0K CA$29.3K

14.47%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$145 CA$203

-56.66%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$28.26 CA$39.49

-3.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$43.79 CA$61.2

-18.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$20.85 CA$29.13

182.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$17.89 CA$25.00

32.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$10.91 CA$15.24

-41.34%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$354 CA$494

22.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$16.2K CA$22.7K

-29.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$59.7 CA$83.5

14.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$33.28 CA$46.51

59.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$76.9 CA$107

40.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$77.3 CA$108

51.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$1,236 CA$1,728

-9.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,018 CA$1,423

-30.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$2,001 CA$2,797

29.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$1,365 CA$1,908

2.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$3,074 CA$4,295

-69.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

5.22

117.43%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sarnia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Sarnia

$1K 50.6% 43.3% $308

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Sarnia

$317 15.7% 0.9% $2.8

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Sarnia

$224 11.2% 13% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Sarnia

$111 5.5% 28.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Sarnia

$217 10.8% 72.5% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Sarnia

$43 2.1% 40.5% $29

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Sarnia

$83 4.1% 226% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,236 in Sarnia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarnia pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $46 in Sarnia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $317 per month, with Sarnia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇦 Sarnia

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

1 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

71,594

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

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

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Sarnia 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Sarnia

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 Sarnia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $2,014 in Sarnia, so Mexico City is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,236 in Sarnia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $354 in Sarnia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sarnia – a meal for two runs $46 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Sarnia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.