Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Colima

For one person, living is cheaper in Colima: $952 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Colima
Learn more

Colima Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Colima

🇲🇽 Mexico

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Colima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $952 in Colima.

Montreal $2,018
Colima $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,562 in Colima.

Montreal $3,085
Colima $1,562

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,173 in Colima.

Montreal $4,152
Colima $2,173

Living in Montreal is roughly 112% more expensive than in Colima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Colima is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$7.58 MX$140

148.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$33.52 MX$619

109.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.16 MX$132

48.88%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.24 MX$41.33

71.43%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.00 MX$18.48

92.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.84 MX$15.45

83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.23 MX$41.16

179.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.45 MX$45.24

189.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.55 MX$28.57

49.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.64 MX$48.76

18.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.21 MX$22.40

165.29%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.76 MX$51.0

27.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.01 MX$148

59.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$8.35 MX$154

37.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.86 MX$182

35.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.85 MX$52.7

10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.44 MX$26.63

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.78 MX$32.82

94.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.26 MX$41.70

35.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.30 MX$42.50

-17.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.30 MX$42.58

-23.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.43 MX$26.36

63.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.09 MX$20.09

42.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$3.61 MX$66.8

215.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$6.76 MX$125

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.56 MX$28.83

45.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.77 MX$32.64

59.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.63 MX$11.73

322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$19.51 MX$361

296.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.40 MX$44.35

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$2.82 MX$52.1

-47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$9.41 MX$174

249.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.43 MX$26.45

-6.29%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$20.9K MX$386.3K

34.68%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$22.7K MX$419.1K

-13.45%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$64.9 MX$1,198

17.11%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$20.24 MX$374

67.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$29.71 MX$549

42.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$35.28 MX$652

-15.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$21.72 MX$401

-6.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$4.63 MX$85.6

140.82%

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

$507 CA$717

$147 MX$2,712

245.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$2,496 MX$46.1K

543.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$45.09 MX$833

27.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$25.11 MX$464

49.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$74.1 MX$1,369

24.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$102 MX$1,884

7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$262 MX$4,849

380.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$261 MX$4,831

262.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$369 MX$6,826

478.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$589 MX$10.9K

174.03%

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

$287 MX$5,301

885.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.3

-60.35%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Colima: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Colima

$261 27.5% 72.4% $686

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Colima

$250 26.2% 28% $97

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Colima

$132 13.9% 54% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Colima

$115 12.1% 24.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Colima

$111 11.6% 17% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Colima

$39 4.1% 60.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Colima

$45 4.7% 14.4% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $262 in Colima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 886% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $34.00 in Colima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $250 per month, with Colima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Colima

🕒 Local time

23:23 11:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

146,965

💱 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 Colima 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Colima

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 Colima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Colima differ by about 112% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $952 including rent). Colima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 886% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $262 in Colima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Colima runs roughly 296% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $147 in Colima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $952 in Colima versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Colima but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Colima 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 Colima 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 Colima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 112% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.