Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Monterrey $1,607
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,512 in Monterrey versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Monterrey $2,512
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,417 in Monterrey versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Monterrey $3,417
Montreal $4,092

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 20% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 20% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.75 MX$252

$19.31 CA$27.52

-28.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 MX$921

$75.5 CA$108

-33.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 MX$204

$10.63 CA$15.15

4.70%

Cappuccino

$4.04 MX$74.2

$3.93 CA$5.60

2.80%

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

$1.70 MX$31.29

$1.92 CA$2.73

-11.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 MX$18.17

$1.48 CA$2.11

-33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.21

$6.30 CA$8.98

-61.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$7.19 CA$10.24

-37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 MX$35.31

$2.22 CA$3.17

-13.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 MX$53.1

$3.06 CA$4.36

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.67

$2.94 CA$4.19

-34.01%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$45.90

$3.53 CA$5.03

-29.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 MX$226

$13.19 CA$18.79

-6.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$171

$11.24 CA$16.02

-16.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.07 MX$240

$13.81 CA$19.69

-5.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 MX$62.1

$3.40 CA$4.85

-0.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.02

$1.44 CA$2.06

9.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 MX$40.45

$3.26 CA$4.65

-32.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 MX$44.89

$2.88 CA$4.10

-14.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 MX$41.47

$1.86 CA$2.65

21.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 MX$50.4

$1.82 CA$2.60

50.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 MX$28.09

$2.43 CA$3.46

-37.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.16

$1.52 CA$2.17

-17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.84 MX$88.9

$11.45 CA$16.32

-57.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 MX$249

$10.36 CA$14.76

31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 MX$35.01

$2.22 CA$3.16

-13.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$56.3

$2.82 CA$4.02

8.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.60

$2.58 CA$3.67

-68.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.77 MX$583

$76.9 CA$110

-58.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 MX$29.78

$3.25 CA$4.64

-50.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 MX$20.17

$1.48 CA$2.11

-25.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 MX$201

$33.04 CA$47.09

-66.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.93

$1.36 CA$1.94

11.76%

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

$21.4K MX$392.4K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-22.08%

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

$25.5K MX$467.6K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

27.49%

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

$120 MX$2,198

$76.1 CA$109

57.28%

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

$27.08 MX$497

$34.68 CA$49.43

-21.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.70 MX$490

$42.69 CA$60.9

-37.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.15 MX$572

$28.94 CA$41.26

7.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.95 MX$403

$20.33 CA$28.97

7.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$94.4

$11.21 CA$15.98

-54.15%

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

$688 MX$12.6K

$505 CA$720

36.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$209.8K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-28.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 MX$1,321

$58.5 CA$83.4

22.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.30 MX$795

$38.00 CA$54.2

13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,059

$92.7 CA$132

20.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 MX$2,236

$106 CA$151

15.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 MX$17.6K

$1,240 CA$1,768

-22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 MX$12.3K

$986 CA$1,405

-32.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 MX$34.7K

$2,102 CA$2,996

-10.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 MX$24.0K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-19.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,159 MX$76.4K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-17.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,437 MX$44.7K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-36.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,133 MX$20.8K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-61.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

4.46

164.35%

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

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$670 41.4%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 47.1% $316

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$312 19.3%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 10% $31

Eating Out

Monterrey

$224 13.8%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 30.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$174 10.7%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 11.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$157 9.7%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 15.5% $24

Getting Around

Monterrey

$42 2.6%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 133% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$41 2.6%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 24% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $957 in Monterrey and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 158% 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: $50.0 in Monterrey vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $344 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

2 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monterrey Montreal 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monterrey and Montreal differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($1,607 vs $2,003 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 158% lower in Montreal. 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: $957 in Monterrey versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Monterrey versus $2,003 in Montreal – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Montreal. 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.

Safety-wise, Monterrey and Montreal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.