Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Saguenay

For one person, living is cheaper in Saguenay: $1,427 a month against $1,641 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Monterrey outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Monterrey, Mexico
Saguenay, Canada
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Saguenay
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,427
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Saguenay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $1,427 in Saguenay.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Saguenay $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $2,273 in Saguenay.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Saguenay $2,273

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $3,118 in Saguenay.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Saguenay $3,118

Living in Monterrey is roughly 15% more expensive than in Saguenay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Saguenay 6% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$250
$15.26 CA$21.46
-12.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$897
$43.68 CA$61.4
9.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$202
$10.92 CA$15.36
-1.19%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.4
$3.69 CA$5.19
2.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.26
$1.51 CA$2.12
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.25
$1.28 CA$1.80
-19.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.41
$5.46 CA$7.68
-54.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$81.5
$5.03 CA$7.08
-13.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.43
$2.07 CA$2.91
-8.70%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.3
$2.79 CA$3.93
2.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.71
$4.18 CA$5.88
-55.50%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$46.12
$2.92 CA$4.11
-15.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$221
$9.06 CA$12.74
30.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$168
$7.16 CA$10.08
25.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$235
$10.29 CA$14.46
22.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$59.8
$4.12 CA$5.79
-22.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$28.12
$1.47 CA$2.07
2.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.74
$3.79 CA$5.33
-44.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.64
$4.19 CA$5.90
-44.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.58
$2.95 CA$4.15
-24.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.34
$2.91 CA$4.09
-11.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$27.04
$2.44 CA$3.44
-40.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.85
$0.81 CA$1.14
50.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$89.7
$12.27 CA$17.25
-60.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$249
$11.64 CA$16.37
14.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$36.14
$3.11 CA$4.37
-37.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.4
$3.42 CA$4.81
-16.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$14.94
$2.66 CA$3.74
-69.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$579
$58.0 CA$81.6
-46.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.28
$2.96 CA$4.16
-38.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.78
$1.50 CA$2.11
-29.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$202
$27.98 CA$39.34
-61.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.54
$1.16 CA$1.63
26.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$450.4K
$28.0K CA$39.4K
-14.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.2K
$19.7K CA$27.8K
19.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,144
$64.0 CA$90.0
79.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$493
$32.44 CA$45.63
-18.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$481
$45.11 CA$63.4
-43.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$571
$25.01 CA$35.17
22.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$398
$19.16 CA$26.95
11.01%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$92.8
$9.45 CA$13.29
-47.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.7K
$693 CA$974
-2.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$265.3K
$5,360 CA$7,538
164.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,350
$57.6 CA$81.1
25.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$784
$35.18 CA$49.47
19.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,011
$84.2 CA$118
27.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,219
$107 CA$150
11.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$19.0K
$638 CA$898
59.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.5K
$471 CA$662
53.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$36.8K
$1,202 CA$1,691
63.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.5K
$956 CA$1,344
48.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$78.6K
$5,852 CA$8,231
-28.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$52.0K
$3,449 CA$4,851
-19.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Saguenay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.5K
$2,598 CA$3,654
-57.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
4.45
164.94%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saguenay: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Saguenay
$471 34.7% $251
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Saguenay
$316 4.7% $14
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Saguenay
$248 14.8% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Saguenay
$142 15.1% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Saguenay
$128 16.6% $25
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Saguenay
$79 91.8% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Saguenay
$44 8.6% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $638 in Saguenay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saguenay pays about 2.4 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Monterrey vs $44 in Saguenay. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $316, with Monterrey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇨🇦 Saguenay
🕒 Local time
15:35 3:35 PM
16:35 4:35 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
144,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Monterrey Saguenay 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Saguenay

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 Saguenay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Monterrey and in Saguenay?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $1,427 in Saguenay, so Saguenay is about 13% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 58% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Monterrey and in Saguenay?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $638 in Saguenay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Saguenay – a meal for two runs $44 versus $48 in Monterrey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Monterrey or Saguenay?
All in, you’ll spend $1,641 per month in Monterrey versus $1,427 in Saguenay – Saguenay is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $2,000 go in Monterrey compared to Saguenay?
Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Saguenay gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Monterrey and Saguenay?
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.

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