Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Montreal $2,018
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Montreal $3,085
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Montreal $4,152
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Montreal is roughly 29% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$10.75 MX$199

75.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$50.3 MX$929

39.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.10 MX$205

-3.96%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.68 MX$68.1

4.35%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.65 MX$30.42

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.30 MX$24.08

18.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.32 MX$61.3

87.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.54 MX$102

28.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.77 MX$32.68

30.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.05 MX$56.4

2.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.01 MX$37.20

59.70%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.77 MX$51.1

27.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$11.91 MX$220

7.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$9.33 MX$172

22.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$15.02 MX$278

-10.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.08 MX$56.8

1.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.95 MX$35.97

-26.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.03 MX$37.54

70.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.21 MX$40.92

38.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.02 MX$37.41

-5.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.82 MX$33.67

-2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.52 MX$28.07

53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.28 MX$23.65

21.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.27 MX$97.4

115.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$16.12 MX$298

-34.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.95 MX$36.05

16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.25 MX$78.6

-33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.31 MX$5.82

758.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$19.85 MX$367

289.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.00 MX$36.93

60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.53 MX$9.86

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$5.62 MX$104

485.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.52 MX$28.07

-11.84%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

33.85%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-22.04%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$62.5 MX$1,155

21.56%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$28.77 MX$532

18.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$34.45 MX$637

22.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$57.1 MX$1,055

-47.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$24.81 MX$458

-18.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.67 MX$123

67.17%

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

$507 CA$717

$431 MX$7,964

17.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

36.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$70.8 MX$1,308

-18.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$51.8 MX$958

-27.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$109 MX$2,011

-15.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$112 MX$2,076

-2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,051 MX$19.4K

19.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$665 MX$12.3K

42.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-8.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,227 MX$22.7K

31.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$3,554 MX$65.7K

39.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,977 MX$36.5K

94.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$975 MX$18.0K

190.09%

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 Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 29.8% $283

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 6.9% $24

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Mexico City

$203 13% 29.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Mexico City

$126 8% 17.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 15.9% $21

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 73.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 35.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 190% 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 $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

00:26 12:26 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

9,209,944 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Montreal Mexico City 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Mexico City differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 190% 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 $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 289% 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 $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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 Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.