Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Manzanillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Manzanillo: $1,230 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,018
/mo nomad
Manzanillo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,230
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Manzanillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,230 in Manzanillo.

  • Montreal $2,018
  • Manzanillo $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,152 in Manzanillo.

  • Montreal $3,085
  • Manzanillo $2,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,075 in Manzanillo.

  • Montreal $4,152
  • Manzanillo $3,075

Living in Montreal is roughly 64% more expensive than in Manzanillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Manzanillo is 9% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.82 CA$26.61
$11.10 MX$205
69.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.3 CA$99.4
$32.44 MX$599
116.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 CA$15.06
$10.83 MX$200
-1.57%
Cappuccino
$3.84 CA$5.43
$3.58 MX$66.2
7.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.71
$1.17 MX$21.59
64.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 CA$2.18
$1.17 MX$21.54
31.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.23 CA$8.81
$2.16 MX$40.00
188.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 CA$10.03
$4.39 MX$81.1
61.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 CA$3.27
$1.48 MX$27.40
56.08%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$2.60 MX$47.96
20.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 CA$4.54
$1.20 MX$22.26
167.50%
Eggs
$3.52 CA$4.97
$2.09 MX$38.64
68.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.81 CA$18.11
$8.28 MX$153
54.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.46 CA$16.20
$5.41 MX$100
111.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.39 CA$18.92
$9.93 MX$184
34.84%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.43
$2.93 MX$54.2
7.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.03
$1.42 MX$26.31
1.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.47 CA$4.91
$1.78 MX$32.89
94.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 CA$4.34
$1.52 MX$28.14
101.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 CA$2.69
$2.23 MX$41.12
-14.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 CA$2.50
$1.69 MX$31.24
4.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 CA$3.31
$1.87 MX$34.57
25.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 CA$2.19
$1.20 MX$22.10
29.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.38 CA$16.09
$5.44 MX$100
109.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 CA$15.03
$6.62 MX$122
60.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$1.83 MX$33.77
24.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 CA$3.99
$2.52 MX$46.60
11.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.66 CA$3.76
$0.75 MX$13.90
254.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.3 CA$109
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 CA$4.53
$2.41 MX$44.55
32.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.09
$2.43 MX$44.84
-39.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.88 CA$46.48
$9.40 MX$174
249.79%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 CA$1.90
$1.36 MX$25.17
-1.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$20.9K MX$386.6K
34.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K CA$27.8K
$24.4K MX$450.4K
-19.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.0 CA$107
$65.5 MX$1,211
15.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.95 CA$48.00
$19.83 MX$367
71.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.31 CA$59.8
$29.37 MX$543
44.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.76 CA$42.07
$65.3 MX$1,206
-54.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.28 CA$28.67
$33.01 MX$610
-38.56%
Cinema Ticket
$11.15 CA$15.77
$4.46 MX$82.4
150.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$507 CA$717
$163 MX$3,016
210.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K CA$22.7K
$7,172 MX$132.5K
123.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 CA$81.4
$43.02 MX$795
33.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.58 CA$53.1
$24.85 MX$459
51.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$75.6 MX$1,397
21.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$120 MX$2,213
-8.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 CA$1,782
$684 MX$12.6K
84.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$948 CA$1,340
$479 MX$8,845
97.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,137 CA$3,021
$1,519 MX$28.1K
40.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 CA$2,281
$1,373 MX$25.4K
17.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,960 CA$7,011
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,838 CA$5,425
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Manzanillo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,827 CA$3,997
$409 MX$7,563
590.83%
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 Manzanillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$948
Manzanillo
$479 49.5% $469
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$346
Manzanillo
$233 32.8% $114
Eating Out
Montreal
$288
Manzanillo
$193 32.9% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$152
Manzanillo
$115 24.6% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$133
Manzanillo
$118 11.2% $15
Getting Around
Montreal
$99
Manzanillo
$18 * 82.2% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$52
Manzanillo
$74 42.5% $22

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 $684 in Manzanillo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 591% 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 $32.00 in Manzanillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $233 per month, with Manzanillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇲🇽 Manzanillo
🕒 Local time
23:26 11:26 PM
21:26 9:26 PM
2 h behind Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
159,853
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Manzanillo 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Manzanillo

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 Manzanillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Montreal and in Manzanillo?
Montreal and Manzanillo differ by about 64% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $1,230 including rent). Manzanillo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Montreal or Manzanillo?
Average pay runs 591% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Montreal and in Manzanillo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $684 in Manzanillo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Montreal or Manzanillo?
All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $1,230 in Manzanillo – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,230 in Manzanillo versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Manzanillo but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Manzanillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Montreal and Manzanillo?
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.
Is Montreal or Manzanillo safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Montreal and Manzanillo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Montreal or Manzanillo?
Expats usually find Manzanillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Montreal vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?