Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Acapulco

For one person, living is cheaper in Acapulco: $859 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Acapulco
Learn more

Acapulco Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Acapulco

🇲🇽 Mexico

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Acapulco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montreal and in Acapulco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $859 in Acapulco, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Acapulco $859

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,435 in Acapulco, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Acapulco $1,435

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,012 in Acapulco, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Acapulco $2,012

Montreal costs about 135% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Acapulco is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$9.48 MX$175

98.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$37.64 MX$696

86.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.97 MX$221

-10.94%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.76 MX$69.5

2.13%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.63 MX$30.10

17.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.66 MX$30.65

-7.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.00 MX$55.4

107.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.79 MX$88.4

48.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.59 MX$29.36

45.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.89 MX$53.5

8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.68 MX$31.11

91.07%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$1.79 MX$33.06

96.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$6.64 MX$123

92.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$8.04 MX$149

42.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.78 MX$199

24.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.58 MX$84.7

-31.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.65 MX$30.46

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.38 MX$62.5

2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.13 MX$57.9

-1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.47 MX$64.2

-45.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.96 MX$54.7

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.31 MX$24.12

78.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.78 MX$14.46

98.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$8.16 MX$151

39.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$6.66 MX$123

59.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.12 MX$20.74

102.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.70 MX$49.94

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.88 MX$16.27

202.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.85 MX$89.6

-34.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.47 MX$27.16

-8.84%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.1K MX$389.7K

33.48%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$24.8K MX$458.4K

-20.86%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$39.89 MX$737

90.42%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$14.81 MX$274

129.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$21.72 MX$401

94.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$19.02 MX$351

56.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$13.85 MX$256

46.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$3.87 MX$71.6

188.11%

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

$507 CA$717

$162 MX$2,994

212.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$64.4 MX$1,191

-10.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$44.58 MX$824

-15.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$107 MX$1,985

-14.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$83.2 MX$1,538

31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$519 MX$9,593

142.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$150 MX$2,763

533.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$956 MX$17.7K

123.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$331 MX$6,118

387.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$449 MX$8,293

530.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.6

-61.38%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acapulco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Acapulco

$150 17.4% 84.2% $798

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Acapulco

$269 31.3% 22.5% $78

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Acapulco

$195 22.7% 32.4% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Acapulco

$76 8.9% 49.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Acapulco

$135 15.7% 1% $1.4

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Acapulco

$8.4 * 1% 91.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Acapulco

$27 3.1% 48.6% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $519 in Acapulco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 530% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $38.00 in Acapulco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $269 – making Acapulco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Acapulco

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

12:39 12:39 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

658,609

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Acapulco 4,010 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Acapulco

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

Montreal vs Acapulco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 135% more than Acapulco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,288 in Acapulco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Acapulco, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $859 in Acapulco. That's a gap of about 135%.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Montreal and $162 in Acapulco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Acapulco, where all-in costs run around $859, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Acapulco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Acapulco costs $859 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Acapulco. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.