Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Thunder Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,169 in Thunder Bay, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Thunder Bay
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Thunder Bay Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Thunder Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Thunder Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,169 in Thunder Bay.

Mexico City $1,548
Thunder Bay $2,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $3,338 in Thunder Bay.

Mexico City $2,436
Thunder Bay $3,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $4,508 in Thunder Bay.

Mexico City $3,323
Thunder Bay $4,508

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 29% less than in Thunder Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 14% above, Thunder Bay 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$17.63 CA$24.93

-37.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$60.2 CA$85.1

-19.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$12.62 CA$17.84

-13.63%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.40 CA$4.81

8.24%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$1.86 CA$2.63

-12.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$1.59 CA$2.25

-21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$5.43 CA$7.68

-40.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$5.03 CA$7.12

9.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.27 CA$3.20

-25.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.55 CA$3.60

18.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$3.29 CA$4.65

-41.64%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$3.59 CA$5.08

-23.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$16.69 CA$23.59

-29.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$15.91 CA$22.50

-40.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$16.25 CA$22.98

-11.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$3.33 CA$4.71

-9.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.21 CA$1.71

56.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$3.92 CA$5.54

-49.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$3.48 CA$4.92

-37.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$2.50 CA$3.53

-23.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$2.16 CA$3.05

-13.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$2.91 CA$4.12

-50.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$2.38 CA$3.36

-46.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$10.69 CA$15.11

-51.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$8.67 CA$12.26

86.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.96 CA$2.77

-3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$2.92 CA$4.14

44.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$2.28 CA$3.22

-85.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

$64.3 CA$90.9

-69.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$5.26 CA$7.44

-61.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$2.08 CA$2.94

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$35.48 CA$50.2

-84.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.16 CA$1.63

31.03%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-21.11%

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$21.0K CA$29.7K

16.79%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$159 CA$225

-61.67%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$57.9 CA$81.8

-50.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$79.3 CA$112

-56.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$29.52 CA$41.73

90.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

$18.06 CA$25.54

37.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$17.88 CA$25.27

-62.75%

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

$427 MX$7,891

$670 CA$947

-36.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$76.7 CA$108

-11.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$35.15 CA$49.69

47.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$76.6 CA$108

38.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$130 CA$184

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$1,053 CA$1,488

-2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$908 CA$1,283

-27.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$1,898 CA$2,683

21.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$1,741 CA$2,461

-28.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$3,027 CA$4,279

-68.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.58

146.72%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Thunder Bay: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Thunder Bay

$908 41.9% 38.7% $253

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Thunder Bay

$396 18.3% 24.5% $78

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Thunder Bay

$271 12.5% 32.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Thunder Bay

$143 6.6% 5.8% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Thunder Bay

$296 13.7% 139% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Thunder Bay

$65 3% 6.3% $4.4

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Thunder Bay

$89 4.1% 248% $63

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,025 in Mexico City and $1,053 in Thunder Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thunder Bay pays 214% 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 $60.0 in Thunder Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $396 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇦 Thunder Bay

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

2 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

107,909

💱 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 Thunder Bay 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Thunder Bay

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 Thunder Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Thunder Bay differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $2,169 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 214% lower in Thunder Bay. 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 $1,053 in Thunder Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 227% less than in Thunder Bay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $427 in Mexico City versus $670 in Thunder Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,169 in Thunder Bay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Thunder Bay. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Thunder Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.