Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ecatepec

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecatepec: $961 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Ecatepec
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Ecatepec Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Ecatepec

🇲🇽 Mexico

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Ecatepec

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $961 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Ecatepec $961

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,670 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Ecatepec $1,670

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,380 in Ecatepec, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Ecatepec $2,380

Montreal costs about 110% more than Ecatepec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Ecatepec is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$11.14 MX$206

68.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$50.1 MX$926

40.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.57 MX$177

11.39%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.71 MX$68.6

3.50%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.62 MX$30.02

18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.09 MX$20.09

41.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.38 MX$62.5

84.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.59 MX$103

27.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.72 MX$31.71

34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.66 MX$49.12

18.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.96 MX$36.17

63.78%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.75 MX$50.9

28.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.82 MX$163

45.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$9.12 MX$168

25.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$13.47 MX$249

-0.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.14 MX$58.0

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.66 MX$30.74

-13.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.04 MX$37.65

70.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.90 MX$35.12

61.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.79 MX$33.16

6.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.75 MX$32.42

1.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.49 MX$27.48

57.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.19 MX$21.95

30.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$4.59 MX$84.9

147.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$16.62 MX$307

-36.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.92 MX$35.43

18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.83 MX$70.7

-26.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.63 MX$11.72

322.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$31.01 MX$573

149.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.99 MX$36.81

60.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.52 MX$9.68

184.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$5.32 MX$98.3

518.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.54 MX$28.48

-12.99%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.5K MX$397.7K

30.82%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$23.5K MX$434.5K

-16.51%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$57.7 MX$1,067

31.58%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$27.01 MX$499

25.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$24.74 MX$457

71.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$26.37 MX$487

12.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$11.00 MX$203

84.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.47 MX$120

72.33%

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

$507 CA$717

$270 MX$4,996

87.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$5,048 MX$93.3K

217.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$59.1 MX$1,092

-2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$44.94 MX$830

-16.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$100 MX$1,855

-8.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$98.8 MX$1,826

10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$243 MX$4,487

419.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$138 MX$2,550

586.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$683 MX$12.6K

212.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$444 MX$8,205

263.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$755 MX$14.0K

556.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$755 MX$13.9K

408.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$553 MX$10.2K

411.10%

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 Ecatepec: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Ecatepec

$138 14.4% 85.4% $810

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Ecatepec

$298 31% 14% $49

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Ecatepec

$201 21% 30.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Ecatepec

$109 11.4% 28.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Ecatepec

$136 14.2% 2.2% $3

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Ecatepec

$38 4% 61.3% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Ecatepec

$39 4.1% 24.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $243 in Ecatepec. 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 411% 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 $50.0 in Ecatepec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $298 – making Ecatepec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Ecatepec

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

08:16 8:16 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,645,352

💱 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

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Between locations

Montreal Ecatepec 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Ecatepec

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 Ecatepec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,018 in Montreal, $961 in Ecatepec – roughly 110% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,441 in Ecatepec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $50.0 in Ecatepec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $961 in Ecatepec. That's a gap of about 110%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ecatepec, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Ecatepec 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 $961 in Ecatepec to $2,018 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 Ecatepec. 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.