Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Canada

Name: Canada
Address: CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,276 a month against $2,288 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
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Mexico Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index

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🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,276

/mo nomad

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,288

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in Canada

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico and in Canada actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,276 per month in Mexico vs $2,288 in Canada, rent included.

Mexico $1,276
Canada $2,288

A couple spends around $2,023 per month in Mexico vs $3,318 in Canada, rent included.

Mexico $2,023
Canada $3,318

A family of three spends $2,770 per month in Mexico vs $4,348 in Canada, rent included.

Mexico $2,770
Canada $4,348

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($878–$3,623) than in Mexico ($738–$2,646), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Mexico is roughly 44% lower than in Canada on average.

Mexico sits 5% below the global median, while Canada is 69% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 MX$202

$17.44 CA$24.66

-37.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.51 MX$822

$68.8 CA$97.3

-35.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 MX$170

$10.70 CA$15.13

-13.93%

Cappuccino

$3.55 MX$65.6

$3.83 CA$5.42

-7.31%

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

$1.43 MX$26.34

$2.03 CA$2.87

-29.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.83

$1.64 CA$2.32

-34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 MX$50.4

$5.43 CA$7.68

-49.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 MX$81.3

$5.74 CA$8.12

-23.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 MX$29.74

$2.14 CA$3.03

-24.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 MX$50.7

$2.64 CA$3.73

3.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MX$31.76

$3.46 CA$4.89

-50.29%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.55

$3.53 CA$5.00

-27.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 MX$173

$10.70 CA$15.12

-12.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 MX$150

$11.86 CA$16.77

-31.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.62 MX$215

$14.84 CA$20.98

-21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MX$54.3

$4.04 CA$5.71

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.95

$1.37 CA$1.94

18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.41

$3.72 CA$5.26

-44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 MX$35.21

$3.99 CA$5.65

-52.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.07 MX$38.22

$2.63 CA$3.72

-21.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.86

$2.38 CA$3.36

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.69

$2.51 CA$3.55

-42.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$20.33

$1.75 CA$2.47

-37.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 MX$85.7

$14.07 CA$19.90

-67.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 MX$199

$13.32 CA$18.83

-19.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 MX$33.08

$2.86 CA$4.05

-37.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 MX$61.5

$3.16 CA$4.47

5.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.61

$2.50 CA$3.53

-74.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 MX$500

$71.5 CA$101

-62.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$3.09 CA$4.38

-10.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 MX$51.1

$1.43 CA$2.03

93.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.03 MX$204

$26.16 CA$36.98

-57.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$1.18 CA$1.67

24.58%

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

$20.8K MX$384.4K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

-25.71%

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

$24.2K MX$446.9K

$18.8K CA$26.6K

28.35%

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

$69.1 MX$1,278

$148 CA$210

-53.43%

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

$23.20 MX$429

$42.44 CA$60.0

-45.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 MX$535

$58.5 CA$82.7

-50.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 MX$680

$40.65 CA$57.5

-9.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 MX$336

$18.99 CA$26.84

-4.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.7

$11.25 CA$15.90

-52.98%

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

$264 MX$4,887

$753 CA$1,064

-64.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,272 MX$115.9K

$14.3K CA$20.2K

-56.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 MX$1,050

$52.5 CA$74.2

8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.50 MX$767

$38.23 CA$54.0

8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 MX$1,828

$87.8 CA$124

12.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 MX$1,654

$103 CA$146

-13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$714 MX$13.2K

$1,236 CA$1,747

-42.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 MX$8,674

$1,120 CA$1,583

-58.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,323 MX$24.5K

$1,996 CA$2,822

-33.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$1,714 CA$2,423

-47.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,553 MX$47.2K

$4,503 CA$6,365

-43.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 MX$27.1K

$3,888 CA$5,497

-62.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$768 MX$14.2K

$2,921 CA$4,129

-73.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.44

4.87

134.91%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 10, 2026

Last update for Canada: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$469 36.8%

Canada

$1.1K 48.9% 139% $650

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$273 21.4%

Canada

$366 16% 34.1% $93

Eating Out

Mexico

$190 14.9%

Canada

$271 11.9% 42.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$129 10.1%

Canada

$127 5.5% 1.9% $2.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$121 9.5%

Canada

$249 10.9% 106% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$47 3.7%

Canada

$63 2.8% 33.3% $16

Getting Around

Mexico

$46 3.6%

Canada

$92 4% 98.7% $46

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $617 in Mexico vs $1,199 in Canada. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,051 in Mexico City and $1,473 in Ottawa.

Average salary: $735 in Mexico vs $2,892 in Canada. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 94% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 47% more in Canada.

Public transport is 383% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 293% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇨🇦 Canada

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

13:35 1:35 PM

2 h ahead of Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

36,991,981

💱 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 Canada 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
Canada

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 vs Canada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 79% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,199 versus $617 in Mexico.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mexico, adding to the overall 79% price gap.

$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Mexico, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Mexico is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.