Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cuajimalpa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuajimalpa: $1,141 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,059
/mo nomad
Cuajimalpa
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,141
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cuajimalpa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $1,141 in Cuajimalpa.

  • Montreal $2,059
  • Cuajimalpa $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $1,827 in Cuajimalpa.

  • Montreal $3,123
  • Cuajimalpa $1,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $2,514 in Cuajimalpa.

  • Montreal $4,187
  • Cuajimalpa $2,514

Living in Montreal is roughly 81% more expensive than in Cuajimalpa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 52% above, Cuajimalpa is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.84 CA$26.63
$10.81 MX$200
74.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.2 CA$104
$43.13 MX$797
69.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.90
$8.35 MX$154
26.23%
Cappuccino
$3.97 CA$5.61
$3.60 MX$66.6
10.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 CA$2.74
$1.40 MX$25.87
38.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.22
$1.06 MX$19.50
48.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 CA$9.08
$2.52 MX$46.60
154.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 CA$10.19
$3.96 MX$73.2
81.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CA$3.28
$1.58 MX$29.16
46.84%
White Bread (500g)
$3.19 CA$4.51
$2.64 MX$48.81
20.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.50
$1.70 MX$31.34
87.65%
Eggs
$3.68 CA$5.20
$2.46 MX$45.39
49.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.24 CA$18.72
$8.08 MX$149
63.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.69 CA$16.53
$8.10 MX$150
44.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.98 CA$19.76
$11.30 MX$209
23.72%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$2.79 MX$51.5
12.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 CA$2.05
$1.51 MX$27.83
-3.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 CA$4.78
$1.86 MX$34.44
81.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.11 CA$4.40
$1.81 MX$33.42
71.82%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 CA$2.72
$2.00 MX$36.89
-3.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 CA$2.58
$1.91 MX$35.21
-4.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.36 CA$3.34
$1.43 MX$26.42
65.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 CA$2.12
$1.12 MX$20.79
33.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.12 CA$15.73
$4.44 MX$82.1
150.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.60 CA$14.98
$10.50 MX$194
0.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.14
$1.79 MX$33.13
24.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 CA$4.01
$3.18 MX$58.8
-10.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 CA$3.71
$0.69 MX$12.73
279.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.1 CA$112
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.56
$2.62 MX$48.32
23.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.10
$2.01 MX$37.15
-26.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.22 CA$45.55
$10.91 MX$202
195.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.92
$1.44 MX$26.64
-5.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K CA$39.1K
$20.9K MX$386.5K
32.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K CA$30.0K
$24.3K MX$448.9K
-12.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.0 CA$109
$57.5 MX$1,063
33.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.14 CA$48.26
$22.78 MX$421
49.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.19 CA$59.7
$29.83 MX$551
41.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.81 CA$43.56
$34.34 MX$635
-10.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.66 CA$27.79
$20.21 MX$373
-2.72%
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 CA$16.22
$5.31 MX$98.1
116.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$506 CA$716
$223 MX$4,122
126.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$23.0K
$4,649 MX$85.9K
249.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.3 CA$81.0
$54.5 MX$1,008
4.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.10 CA$53.9
$41.13 MX$760
-7.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$101 MX$1,863
-8.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$88.6 MX$1,636
23.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 CA$1,748
$600 MX$11.1K
106.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$977 CA$1,381
$395 MX$7,290
147.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,180 CA$3,082
$1,021 MX$18.9K
113.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 CA$2,273
$764 MX$14.1K
110.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,113 CA$7,228
$1,905 MX$35.2K
168.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,744 CA$5,293
$1,154 MX$21.3K
224.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Cuajimalpa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,957 CA$4,180
-
-
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 20, 2026

Last update for Cuajimalpa: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$977
Cuajimalpa
$395 59.6% $582
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$351
Cuajimalpa
$262 25.3% $89
Eating Out
Montreal
$290
Cuajimalpa
$185 36.3% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$153
Cuajimalpa
$110 28.2% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$134
Cuajimalpa
$128 4% $5.4
Getting Around
Montreal
$100
Cuajimalpa
$15 * 84.6% $85
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$54
Cuajimalpa
$45 16.4% $8.8

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 $1,237 in Montreal and $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $43.00 in Cuajimalpa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $262 per month, with Cuajimalpa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇲🇽 Cuajimalpa
🕒 Local time
11:14 11:14 AM
09:14 9:14 AM
2 h behind Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
217,686
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Cuajimalpa 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Cuajimalpa

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 Cuajimalpa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cuajimalpa cheaper than Montreal?
Cuajimalpa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $1,711 in Cuajimalpa 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.
What is the rent difference between Montreal and Cuajimalpa?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $600 in Cuajimalpa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $223 in Cuajimalpa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Montreal or in Cuajimalpa?
Dining out is cheaper in Cuajimalpa – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Montreal or in Cuajimalpa?
At $1,141 in Cuajimalpa versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cuajimalpa but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Cuajimalpa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Montreal or Cuajimalpa more family-friendly?
For families, Cuajimalpa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Montreal or Cuajimalpa?
Safety-wise, Montreal and Cuajimalpa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cuajimalpa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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