Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monterrey and Windsor, Canada

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,240 in Windsor, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Monterrey, Mexico
Windsor, Canada
Monterrey
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,641
/mo nomad
Windsor
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,240
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Monterrey and in Windsor

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Monterrey versus $2,240 in Windsor.

  • Monterrey $1,641
  • Windsor $2,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,573 in Monterrey versus $3,057 in Windsor.

  • Monterrey $2,573
  • Windsor $3,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,504 in Monterrey versus $3,873 in Windsor.

  • Monterrey $3,504
  • Windsor $3,873

Living in Monterrey costs roughly 27% less than in Windsor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Monterrey 21% above, Windsor 66% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.37 MX$250
$14.17 CA$19.93
-5.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.95 MX$897
$64.0 CA$90.0
-25.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 MX$202
$10.62 CA$14.93
1.60%
Cappuccino
$3.77 MX$70.4
$3.51 CA$4.93
7.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 MX$28.26
$2.57 CA$3.61
-41.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 MX$19.25
$1.83 CA$2.57
-43.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 MX$46.41
$5.10 CA$7.18
-51.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.36 MX$81.5
$6.05 CA$8.50
-27.93%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 MX$35.43
$1.83 CA$2.58
3.28%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 MX$53.3
$2.05 CA$2.88
39.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.86 MX$34.71
$3.06 CA$4.30
-39.22%
Eggs
$2.47 MX$46.12
$2.85 CA$4.01
-13.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.81 MX$221
$10.04 CA$14.12
17.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.97 MX$168
$10.17 CA$14.30
-11.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.57 MX$235
$14.06 CA$19.78
-10.60%
Apples (1kg)
$3.20 MX$59.8
$3.83 CA$5.39
-16.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 MX$28.12
$0.99 CA$1.40
51.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.74
$3.04 CA$4.27
-30.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.33 MX$43.64
$3.67 CA$5.16
-36.51%
Potato (1kg)
$2.22 MX$41.58
$1.97 CA$2.78
12.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.58 MX$48.34
$2.13 CA$2.99
21.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.45 MX$27.04
$2.19 CA$3.08
-33.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.85
$1.26 CA$1.77
-3.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.80 MX$89.7
$12.82 CA$18.02
-62.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.30 MX$249
$11.75 CA$16.52
13.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 MX$36.14
$1.93 CA$2.72
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 MX$53.4
$3.33 CA$4.69
-14.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MX$14.94
$2.81 CA$3.95
-71.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$30.94 MX$579
$89.9 CA$126
-65.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 MX$34.28
$2.40 CA$3.38
-23.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 MX$19.78
$1.03 CA$1.45
2.91%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.82 MX$202
$14.27 CA$20.07
-24.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MX$27.54
$1.22 CA$1.72
20.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K MX$450.4K
$26.9K CA$37.9K
-10.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$440.2K
$21.8K CA$30.7K
7.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 MX$2,144
$185 CA$260
-37.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.37 MX$493
$38.06 CA$53.5
-30.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.70 MX$481
$56.6 CA$79.6
-54.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.53 MX$571
$34.23 CA$48.13
-10.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 MX$398
$28.28 CA$39.77
-24.79%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 MX$92.8
$10.56 CA$14.84
-53.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$679 MX$12.7K
$504 CA$709
34.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.2K MX$265.3K
$4,753 CA$6,684
198.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 MX$1,350
$44.70 CA$62.9
61.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.94 MX$784
$33.57 CA$47.22
24.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 MX$2,011
$80.5 CA$113
33.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 MX$2,219
$80.6 CA$113
47.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 MX$19.0K
$1,269 CA$1,784
-19.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 MX$13.5K
$1,132 CA$1,592
-36.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,966 MX$36.8K
$1,759 CA$2,473
11.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 MX$26.5K
$1,427 CA$2,007
-0.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,203 MX$78.6K
$3,215 CA$4,522
30.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,782 MX$52.0K
$2,895 CA$4,071
-3.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Monterrey
Windsor
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,096 MX$20.5K
$3,049 CA$4,288
-64.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.79
4.71
150.32%

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

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Windsor: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Monterrey
$722
Windsor
$1.1K 56.8% $410
Groceries & Markets
Monterrey
$302
Windsor
$315 4.3% $13
Eating Out
Monterrey
$216
Windsor
$242 12.4% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Monterrey
$167
Windsor
$279 67.7% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Monterrey
$153
Windsor
$108 29.6% $45
Getting Around
Monterrey
$41
Windsor
$109 164% $67
Sport & Entertainment
Monterrey
$40
Windsor
$55 36.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,018 in Monterrey and $1,269 in Windsor. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Windsor 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 $64 in Windsor for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $315 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Monterrey
🇨🇦 Windsor
🕒 Local time
14:09 2:09 PM
15:09 3:09 PM
1 h ahead of Monterrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,142,994
217,188
💱 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 Windsor 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Monterrey
  • Windsor

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 Windsor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Monterrey and in Windsor?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,641 in Monterrey and $2,240 in Windsor, so Monterrey is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
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.
How do apartment prices compare in Monterrey and in Windsor?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,018 in Monterrey versus $1,269 in Windsor. 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 Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $64 in Windsor. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Monterrey or Windsor?
All in, you’ll spend $1,641 per month in Monterrey versus $2,240 in Windsor – Monterrey is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $3,000 go in Monterrey compared to Windsor?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Monterrey and Windsor?
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.
Where should expats move: Monterrey or Windsor?
Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Windsor. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Monterrey vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?