Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cancun

For one person, living is cheaper in Cancun: $1,428 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cancun
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Cancun Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Cancun

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cancun

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,428 in Cancun, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Cancun $1,428

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,290 in Cancun, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Cancun $2,290

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,152 in Cancun, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Cancun $3,152

Montreal costs about 40% more than Cancun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Cancun sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Cancun by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$11.15 MX$205

73.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$54.6 MX$1,003

38.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$11.30 MX$208

-5.93%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.86 MX$71.0

1.81%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.38 MX$25.26

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.80 MX$14.76

85.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.08 MX$56.5

104.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.35 MX$79.9

65.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.63 MX$29.94

36.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.71 MX$49.81

12.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.65 MX$30.27

78.18%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.72 MX$50.0

29.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$9.93 MX$182

32.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$8.80 MX$162

27.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$13.88 MX$255

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.83 MX$52.0

20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.67 MX$30.66

-13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$3.20 MX$58.7

1.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$2.16 MX$39.74

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$2.03 MX$37.27

-8.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.90 MX$34.95

-4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.15 MX$21.12

111.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.22 MX$22.47

24.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.51 MX$82.8

153.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$10.03 MX$184

3.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.56 MX$28.61

42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.73 MX$50.1

3.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.64 MX$11.82

303.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$28.64 MX$526

168.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$4.50 MX$82.5

-27.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.98 MX$54.7

-50.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$13.62 MX$250

142.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.52 MX$27.84

-10.53%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.0K MX$385.8K

30.53%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$24.5K MX$449.7K

-18.44%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$172 MX$3,166

-55.86%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$23.50 MX$431

47.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$37.97 MX$697

12.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$33.57 MX$616

-13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$13.50 MX$248

50.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$7.33 MX$135

52.93%

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

$505 CA$720

$205 MX$3,760

146.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$5,468 MX$100.4K

192.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$54.9 MX$1,008

6.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$54.7 MX$1,005

-30.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$76.9 MX$1,412

20.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$94.4 MX$1,732

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$672 MX$12.3K

84.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$464 MX$8,518

112.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,375 MX$25.2K

52.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,075 MX$19.7K

50.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,281 MX$23.5K

293.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,985 MX$36.4K

92.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$819 MX$15.0K

256.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.45

-61.05%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cancun: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Cancun

$464 32.9% 52.9% $522

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Cancun

$287 20.3% 16.6% $57

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Cancun

$202 14.3% 30.9% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Cancun

$234 16.6% 52.4% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Cancun

$126 9% 4.8% $6.4

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Cancun

$51 3.6% 48.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Cancun

$48 3.4% 6.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $672 in Cancun. 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 257% 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $55.0 in Cancun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $287 – making Cancun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Cancun

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

22:46 10:46 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

888,797

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cancun 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cancun

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 Cancun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,003 in Montreal, $1,428 in Cancun – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $2,141 in Cancun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Montreal and $205 in Cancun. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cancun, where all-in costs run around $1,428, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Cancun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,428 in Cancun to $2,003 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Cancun. 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.