Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Arviat

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,608 a month against $2,212 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
Learn more

Monterrey Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
Learn more

Arviat Living Index

Jump to prices

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Arviat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,212 in Arviat.

Monterrey $1,608
Arviat $2,212

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,521 in Monterrey versus $3,119 in Arviat.

Monterrey $2,521
Arviat $3,119

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,433 in Monterrey versus $4,025 in Arviat.

Monterrey $3,433
Arviat $4,025

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 27% less than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 19% above, Arviat 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.85 MX$255

$17.31 CA$24.61

-19.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.70 MX$914

$64.8 CA$92.2

-23.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 MX$203

$11.21 CA$15.94

-1.43%

Cappuccino

$4.09 MX$75.2

$3.65 CA$5.19

12.05%

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

$1.68 MX$30.82

$1.95 CA$2.77

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$18.89

$1.54 CA$2.18

-33.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 MX$44.06

$5.27 CA$7.49

-54.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$79.9

$5.58 CA$7.93

-22.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.37

$2.08 CA$2.96

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$2.51 CA$3.58

17.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.49

$3.27 CA$4.65

-42.51%

Eggs

$2.55 MX$46.83

$3.34 CA$4.74

-23.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 MX$218

$9.60 CA$13.64

23.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 MX$172

$10.27 CA$14.60

-8.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 MX$241

$14.59 CA$20.75

-10.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.2

$3.24 CA$4.60

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$27.99

$1.18 CA$1.68

28.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.31

$4.18 CA$5.95

-47.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MX$43.41

$3.21 CA$4.57

-26.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.55

$2.36 CA$3.36

-4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 MX$50.3

$2.11 CA$3.00

29.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.03

$2.49 CA$3.54

-38.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$22.79

$1.63 CA$2.31

-23.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.75 MX$87.4

$13.77 CA$19.58

-65.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.66 MX$251

$13.06 CA$18.57

4.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 MX$34.78

$2.37 CA$3.37

-20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 MX$54.9

$2.64 CA$3.75

13.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 MX$15.70

$2.20 CA$3.13

-61.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.95 MX$569

$62.5 CA$88.9

-50.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 MX$30.82

$2.88 CA$4.10

-41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 MX$20.77

$1.59 CA$2.27

-28.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.15 MX$205

$25.35 CA$36.05

-56.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.77

$1.30 CA$1.85

20.00%

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

$21.4K MX$393.8K

$27.2K CA$38.6K

-21.17%

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

$25.1K MX$460.9K

$16.4K CA$23.3K

52.75%

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

$119 MX$2,195

$147 CA$209

-18.97%

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

$26.21 MX$482

$34.05 CA$48.41

-23.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.78 MX$492

$50.0 CA$71.1

-46.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.03 MX$571

$42.33 CA$60.2

-26.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.43 MX$394

$16.95 CA$24.10

26.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 MX$97.3

$12.62 CA$17.94

-58.08%

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

$691 MX$12.7K

$707 CA$1,005

-2.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K MX$211.0K

$12.9K CA$18.3K

-11.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 MX$1,329

$46.01 CA$65.4

57.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.72 MX$786

$33.72 CA$47.95

26.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,014

$93.9 CA$133

16.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,147

$98.8 CA$141

18.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 MX$17.8K

$1,306 CA$1,856

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 MX$12.2K

$1,105 CA$1,570

-39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,857 MX$34.1K

$2,051 CA$2,917

-9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 MX$23.7K

$1,534 CA$2,181

-16.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,162 MX$76.5K

$4,007 CA$5,697

3.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 MX$43.2K

$3,716 CA$5,284

-36.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,146 MX$21.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

4.66

153.00%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arviat: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$664 41.3%

Arviat

$1.1K 50% 66.4% $441

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$310 19.3%

Arviat

$336 15.2% 8.4% $26

Eating Out

Monterrey

$225 14%

Arviat

$267 12.1% 19.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$172 10.7%

Arviat

$231 10.5% 34.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$154 9.6%

Arviat

$123 5.5% 20.2% $31

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Arviat

$82 3.7% 97.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Arviat

$68 3.1% 62.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Monterrey and $1,306 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $65.0 in Arviat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $336 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

18:26 6:26 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

2,800

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.44 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 18.39 MXN (100 MXN = 5.44 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Arviat 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Arviat

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

Monterrey vs Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Arviat differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $2,212 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,412 in Monterrey and $3,318 in Arviat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Monterrey versus $1,306 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $691 in Monterrey versus $707 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Arviat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,608 in Monterrey versus $2,212 in Arviat, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Arviat. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey 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 Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Arviat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.