Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Ottawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,449 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index

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Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Ottawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,449 in Ottawa.

Monterrey $1,641
Ottawa $2,449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,557 in Ottawa.

Monterrey $2,573
Ottawa $3,557

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $4,665 in Ottawa.

Monterrey $3,504
Ottawa $4,665

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 33% less than in Ottawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Ottawa 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 MX$250

$17.60 CA$24.75

-24.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.95 MX$897

$78.2 CA$110

-38.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 MX$202

$10.54 CA$14.82

2.37%

Cappuccino

$3.77 MX$70.4

$4.23 CA$5.94

-10.87%

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

$1.51 MX$28.26

$2.03 CA$2.85

-25.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 MX$19.25

$1.75 CA$2.46

-41.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 MX$46.41

$5.57 CA$7.84

-55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MX$81.5

$6.37 CA$8.96

-31.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 MX$35.43

$2.37 CA$3.34

-20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 MX$53.3

$3.06 CA$4.31

-6.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 MX$34.71

$3.03 CA$4.27

-38.61%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$46.12

$3.20 CA$4.50

-22.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.81 MX$221

$11.55 CA$16.24

2.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 MX$168

$12.33 CA$17.34

-27.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.57 MX$235

$18.81 CA$26.46

-33.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 MX$59.8

$3.88 CA$5.46

-17.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 MX$28.12

$1.28 CA$1.80

17.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.74

$3.96 CA$5.57

-46.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 MX$43.64

$3.55 CA$4.99

-34.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$41.58

$2.72 CA$3.82

-18.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 MX$48.34

$2.44 CA$3.43

5.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 MX$27.04

$2.69 CA$3.78

-46.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.85

$1.55 CA$2.17

-21.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 MX$89.7

$14.64 CA$20.59

-67.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 MX$249

$12.53 CA$17.62

6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$36.14

$2.66 CA$3.74

-27.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 MX$53.4

$3.00 CA$4.22

-4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 MX$14.94

$2.90 CA$4.08

-72.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.94 MX$579

$98.2 CA$138

-68.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 MX$34.28

$2.76 CA$3.89

-33.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 MX$19.78

$1.46 CA$2.06

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.82 MX$202

$19.28 CA$27.11

-43.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.54

$1.20 CA$1.69

22.50%

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

$24.1K MX$450.4K

$27.9K CA$39.2K

-13.59%

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

$23.5K MX$440.2K

$22.2K CA$31.3K

5.80%

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

$115 MX$2,144

$137 CA$193

-16.45%

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

$26.37 MX$493

$36.79 CA$51.7

-28.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 MX$481

$47.56 CA$66.9

-45.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.53 MX$571

$46.86 CA$65.9

-34.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 MX$398

$27.83 CA$39.14

-23.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 MX$92.8

$12.66 CA$17.80

-60.82%

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

$679 MX$12.7K

$817 CA$1,149

-16.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K MX$265.3K

$20.5K CA$28.8K

-30.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 MX$1,350

$60.1 CA$84.5

20.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 MX$784

$39.13 CA$55.0

7.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MX$2,011

$106 CA$148

1.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 MX$2,219

$101 CA$142

17.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 MX$19.0K

$1,447 CA$2,034

-29.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 MX$13.5K

$1,240 CA$1,744

-41.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 MX$36.8K

$2,214 CA$3,114

-11.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 MX$26.5K

$1,856 CA$2,610

-23.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 MX$78.6K

$4,570 CA$6,426

-8.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,782 MX$52.0K

$4,419 CA$6,215

-37.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,096 MX$20.5K

$3,670 CA$5,162

-70.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.79

4.14

184.78%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ottawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Monterrey

$722 44%

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.6% 71.8% $518

Groceries & Markets

Monterrey

$302 18.4%

Ottawa

$379 15.5% 25.6% $77

Eating Out

Monterrey

$216 13.2%

Ottawa

$279 11.4% 29.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monterrey

$167 10.2%

Ottawa

$222 9% 32.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Monterrey

$153 9.3%

Ottawa

$138 5.6% 10.1% $16

Getting Around

Monterrey

$41 2.5%

Ottawa

$120 4.9% 191% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Monterrey

$40 2.5%

Ottawa

$72 3% 78.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,447 in Ottawa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $78 in Ottawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $379 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h ahead of Monterrey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,142,994

1,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Monterrey Ottawa 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Monterrey
Ottawa

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 Ottawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,449 in Ottawa, so Monterrey is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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 $1,447 in Ottawa. 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 $48 versus $78 in Ottawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,641 per month in Monterrey versus $2,449 in Ottawa – Monterrey is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 33% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.