Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Guelph

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,697 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,697

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Guelph

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,697 in Guelph.

Monterrey $1,641
Guelph $2,697

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,761 in Guelph.

Monterrey $2,573
Guelph $3,761

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,826 in Guelph.

Monterrey $3,504
Guelph $4,826

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 39% less than in Guelph, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Guelph 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$251

$21.69 CA$30.40

-38.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$900

$71.6 CA$100

-33.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$203

$11.65 CA$16.34

-7.38%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.7

$3.41 CA$4.78

10.56%

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

$1.51 MX$28.37

$1.51 CA$2.12

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.33

$1.32 CA$1.85

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.60

$5.02 CA$7.04

-50.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.8

$6.15 CA$8.62

-29.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.58

$2.15 CA$3.02

-12.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.5

$2.91 CA$4.07

-2.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.86

$3.66 CA$5.13

-49.18%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.31

$2.95 CA$4.13

-16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$222

$10.39 CA$14.57

13.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$15.95 CA$22.36

-43.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$236

$22.10 CA$30.98

-43.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$60.0

$3.64 CA$5.10

-12.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.23

$1.27 CA$1.78

18.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$4.46 CA$6.25

-52.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.82

$4.68 CA$6.56

-50.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.75

$3.33 CA$4.67

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.54

$2.29 CA$3.21

12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.15

$2.99 CA$4.19

-51.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.94

$1.48 CA$2.08

-17.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$90.1

$10.98 CA$15.39

-56.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$250

$11.03 CA$15.47

20.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.28

$3.46 CA$4.85

-44.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.6

$3.12 CA$4.37

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$15.00

$2.30 CA$3.23

-65.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$581

$67.1 CA$94.1

-53.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.42

$2.39 CA$3.36

-23.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.86

$1.96 CA$2.74

-45.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$203

$26.29 CA$36.85

-58.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.65

$1.19 CA$1.67

23.53%

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

$24.1K MX$452.3K

$27.9K CA$39.1K

-13.72%

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

$23.5K MX$442.0K

$22.7K CA$31.9K

3.54%

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

$115 MX$2,152

$122 CA$171

-5.99%

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

$26.37 MX$495

$42.68 CA$59.8

-38.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$483

$55.3 CA$77.6

-53.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$573

$46.57 CA$65.3

-34.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$400

$14.25 CA$19.97

49.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$93.1

$10.58 CA$14.83

-53.12%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$838 CA$1,174

-18.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$266.4K

$16.9K CA$23.7K

-16.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,356

$64.1 CA$89.8

12.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$788

$36.43 CA$51.1

15.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,019

$86.6 CA$121

24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,228

$124 CA$174

-4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.1K

$1,546 CA$2,167

-34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.6K

$1,471 CA$2,062

-50.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.9K

$2,173 CA$3,046

-9.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.6K

$2,003 CA$2,808

-29.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.9K

$4,847 CA$6,795

-13.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.2K

$4,402 CA$6,170

-36.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.6K

$3,063 CA$4,293

-64.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

4.99

136.27%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Guelph: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Guelph

$1.5K 54.6% 104% $749

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Guelph

$411 15.3% 36.1% $109

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Guelph

$298 11.1% 38.2% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Guelph

$220 8.2% 31.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Guelph

$140 5.2% 8.5% $13

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Guelph

$89 3.3% 115% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Guelph

$68 2.5% 67.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,546 in Guelph. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guelph pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $72 in Guelph for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $411 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇦 Guelph

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

131,794

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Guelph 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Guelph

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 Guelph: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Monterrey. 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: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,546 in Guelph. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Guelph. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $72 in Guelph. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey 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.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Guelph. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.