Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ciudad del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Carmen: $1,151 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Carmen
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Ciudad del Carmen Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,151

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Ciudad del Carmen

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 Ciudad del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $1,151 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Montreal $2,003
Ciudad del Carmen $1,151

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,870 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Montreal $3,048
Ciudad del Carmen $1,870

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $2,589 in Ciudad del Carmen.

Montreal $4,092
Ciudad del Carmen $2,589

Living in Montreal is roughly 74% more expensive than in Ciudad del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Ciudad del Carmen is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$11.25 MX$207

71.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$43.87 MX$805

72.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$8.45 MX$155

25.80%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.70 MX$68.0

6.22%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.42 MX$26.11

35.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.08 MX$19.81

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$2.58 MX$47.46

144.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$3.93 MX$72.1

82.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.62 MX$29.69

37.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.64 MX$48.41

15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.69 MX$30.97

73.96%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.45 MX$44.95

44.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$8.40 MX$154

57.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$8.67 MX$159

29.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$11.72 MX$215

17.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.73 MX$50.2

24.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.59 MX$29.22

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.97 MX$36.17

65.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.83 MX$33.68

57.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.95 MX$35.87

-4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.86 MX$34.12

-2.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.43 MX$26.27

69.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.10 MX$20.23

38.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.51 MX$82.8

153.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$10.52 MX$193

-1.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.77 MX$32.44

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.22 MX$59.1

-12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.64 MX$11.70

303.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.70 MX$49.54

20.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.97 MX$36.25

-24.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$11.20 MX$206

195.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.43 MX$26.22

-4.90%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.7K MX$399.0K

26.20%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$24.1K MX$442.5K

-17.11%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$60.2 MX$1,106

26.36%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$22.99 MX$422

50.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$29.54 MX$542

44.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$34.98 MX$642

-17.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$20.48 MX$376

-0.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$5.23 MX$96.1

114.34%

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

$505 CA$720

$221 MX$4,049

129.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$4,665 MX$85.7K

243.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$55.7 MX$1,023

4.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$42.52 MX$781

-10.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$101 MX$1,861

-8.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$92.2 MX$1,693

14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$614 MX$11.3K

101.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$393 MX$7,216

150.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,046 MX$19.2K

100.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$773 MX$14.2K

108.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,941 MX$35.6K

159.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,179 MX$21.6K

224.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.3

-60.53%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Carmen: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Ciudad del Carmen

$393 34% 60.1% $593

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Ciudad del Carmen

$268 23.2% 22% $76

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Ciudad del Carmen

$191 16.5% 34.9% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Ciudad del Carmen

$113 9.8% 26.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Ciudad del Carmen

$131 11.4% 1.1% $1.4

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Ciudad del Carmen

$15 * 1.3% 84.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Ciudad del Carmen

$45 3.9% 11.5% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $614 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Montreal vs $44.00 in Ciudad del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $268 per month, with Ciudad del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Ciudad del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

191,238

💱 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 = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Ciudad del Carmen 3,430 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Ciudad del Carmen

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 Ciudad del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Ciudad del Carmen differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $1,151 including rent). Ciudad del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,005 in Montreal and $1,726 in Ciudad del Carmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,240 in Montreal versus $614 in Ciudad del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,003 per month in Montreal versus $1,151 in Ciudad del Carmen – a 74% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,151 in Ciudad del Carmen versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ciudad del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Ciudad del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Ciudad del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ciudad del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.