Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Los Cabos

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Cabos: $1,371 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Los Cabos
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Los Cabos Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Los Cabos

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Los Cabos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,371 in Los Cabos.

Montreal $2,018
Los Cabos $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,211 in Los Cabos.

Montreal $3,085
Los Cabos $2,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,051 in Los Cabos.

Montreal $4,152
Los Cabos $3,051

Living in Montreal is roughly 47% more expensive than in Los Cabos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Los Cabos 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$22.30 MX$412

-15.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$43.70 MX$807

60.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$13.76 MX$254

-22.53%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.22 MX$96.5

-26.44%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.30 MX$42.51

-16.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.06 MX$38.06

-25.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$4.99 MX$92.2

24.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$8.36 MX$154

-15.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.65 MX$30.46

40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.86 MX$52.8

9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.38 MX$44.07

34.87%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.41 MX$44.49

46.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.96 MX$166

42.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$9.56 MX$177

19.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$17.76 MX$328

-24.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.13 MX$76.4

-23.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.78 MX$32.89

-19.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.93 MX$54.2

18.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.53 MX$46.70

21.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.34 MX$43.16

-18.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.53 MX$46.73

-30.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.24 MX$22.99

88.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.86 MX$15.94

80.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$4.52 MX$83.6

151.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$10.32 MX$191

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.61 MX$29.70

40.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.13 MX$57.8

-9.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.41 MX$25.98

88.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.66 MX$49.20

20.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.93 MX$35.59

-23.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$11.63 MX$215

182.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.38 MX$25.43

-2.90%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.0K MX$388.2K

34.02%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$24.3K MX$449.9K

-19.38%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$58.6 MX$1,083

29.65%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$27.70 MX$512

22.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$24.59 MX$454

72.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$34.48 MX$637

-13.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$20.05 MX$371

1.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$4.28 MX$79.1

160.51%

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

$507 CA$717

$215 MX$3,971

135.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$4,652 MX$86.0K

245.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$93.3 MX$1,724

-38.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$40.63 MX$751

-7.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$124 MX$2,298

-26.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$89.7 MX$1,657

22.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$612 MX$11.3K

106.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$391 MX$7,226

142.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,044 MX$19.3K

104.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$781 MX$14.4K

106.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,933 MX$35.7K

156.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,131 MX$20.9K

239.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$811 MX$15.0K

248.83%

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 Los Cabos: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Los Cabos

$391 28.5% 58.7% $557

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Los Cabos

$310 22.6% 10.5% $36

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Los Cabos

$341 24.9% 18.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Los Cabos

$111 8.1% 27.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Los Cabos

$157 11.4% 17.3% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Los Cabos

$18 * 1.3% 81.8% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Los Cabos

$43 3.1% 17.3% $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 $1,260 in Montreal and $612 in Los Cabos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 249% 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 $44.00 in Los Cabos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $310 per month, with Los Cabos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Los Cabos

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

202,694

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Los Cabos 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Los Cabos

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 Los Cabos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Los Cabos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 249% 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 $612 in Los Cabos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $1,371 in Los Cabos – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,371 in Los Cabos versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Los Cabos but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Los Cabos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Los Cabos 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.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Los Cabos 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 Los Cabos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.