Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Monterrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Montreal $2,003
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Montreal $3,048
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Montreal $4,092
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Montreal is roughly 25% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$13.75 MX$252

40.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$50.2 MX$921

50.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$11.13 MX$204

-4.49%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$4.04 MX$74.2

-2.72%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.70 MX$31.29

12.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.99 MX$18.17

49.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$2.41 MX$44.21

161.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.48 MX$82.3

60.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.92 MX$35.31

15.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.89 MX$53.1

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.94 MX$35.67

51.55%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.50 MX$45.90

41.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$12.30 MX$226

7.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$9.33 MX$171

20.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$13.07 MX$240

5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$3.38 MX$62.1

0.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.58 MX$29.02

-8.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$2.20 MX$40.45

48.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$2.45 MX$44.89

17.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$2.26 MX$41.47

-17.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$2.74 MX$50.4

-33.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.53 MX$28.09

58.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.26 MX$23.16

20.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.84 MX$88.9

136.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$13.59 MX$249

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.91 MX$35.01

16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.06 MX$56.3

-7.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.80 MX$14.60

222.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$31.77 MX$583

142.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.62 MX$29.78

100.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.10 MX$20.17

34.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$10.97 MX$201

201.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.52 MX$27.93

-10.53%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

28.34%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-21.56%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$120 MX$2,198

-36.42%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$27.08 MX$497

28.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$26.70 MX$490

59.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$31.15 MX$572

-7.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$21.95 MX$403

-7.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$5.14 MX$94.4

118.09%

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

$505 CA$720

$688 MX$12.6K

-26.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

40.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$71.9 MX$1,321

-18.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$43.30 MX$795

-12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$112 MX$2,059

-17.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$122 MX$2,236

-13.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$957 MX$17.6K

29.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$670 MX$12.3K

47.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,887 MX$34.7K

11.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,305 MX$24.0K

23.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$4,159 MX$76.4K

21.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$2,437 MX$44.7K

57.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$1,133 MX$20.8K

157.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.79

-62.17%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 32% $316

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 9.1% $31

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 23.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 13% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 18.4% $24

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 57% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 19.3% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 158% 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: $75.0 in Montreal vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

05:25 5:25 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Monterrey 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Monterrey

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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Monterrey differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 158% 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: $1,240 in Montreal versus $957 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,003 per month in Montreal versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey 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 Monterrey 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 Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.