Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Nogales

For one person, living is cheaper in Nogales: $1,138 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Nogales
Learn more

Nogales Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Nogales

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Nogales

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,138 in Nogales, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Nogales $1,138

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,854 in Nogales, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Nogales $1,854

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,570 in Nogales, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Nogales $2,570

Montreal costs about 76% more than Nogales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Nogales is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$10.96 MX$201

76.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$45.05 MX$827

67.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$8.37 MX$154

27.00%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.62 MX$66.4

8.56%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.35 MX$24.79

42.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.04 MX$19.01

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$2.58 MX$47.30

144.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.10 MX$75.3

75.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.58 MX$29.09

40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.63 MX$48.22

16.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.73 MX$31.85

69.94%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.55 MX$46.77

38.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$8.49 MX$156

55.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$8.51 MX$156

32.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$11.84 MX$217

16.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.73 MX$50.0

24.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.59 MX$29.16

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.91 MX$35.16

70.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.85 MX$34.05

55.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.96 MX$36.01

-5.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.92 MX$35.19

-5.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.45 MX$26.54

67.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.11 MX$20.31

36.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.33 MX$79.5

164.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$10.64 MX$195

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.84 MX$33.71

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.25 MX$59.8

-13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.69 MX$12.66

273.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.58 MX$47.44

25.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.06 MX$37.79

-28.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$11.28 MX$207

192.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.48 MX$27.14

-8.11%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.2K MX$389.4K

29.32%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$24.9K MX$456.6K

-19.67%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$62.4 MX$1,146

21.91%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$22.44 MX$412

54.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$30.41 MX$558

40.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$34.79 MX$639

-16.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$20.65 MX$379

-1.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$5.22 MX$95.8

114.75%

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

$505 CA$720

$224 MX$4,105

125.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$4,654 MX$85.5K

244.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$55.1 MX$1,012

6.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$42.38 MX$778

-10.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$103 MX$1,891

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$92.4 MX$1,697

14.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$614 MX$11.3K

101.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$400 MX$7,341

146.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,072 MX$19.7K

96.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$786 MX$14.4K

105.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,927 MX$35.4K

161.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,151 MX$21.1K

232.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.3

-60.53%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nogales: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Nogales

$400 34.4% 59.4% $586

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Nogales

$269 23.1% 21.8% $75

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Nogales

$187 16.1% 36.2% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Nogales

$115 9.9% 24.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Nogales

$132 11.3% 0.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Nogales

$16 * 1.3% 84% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Nogales

$45 3.9% 12% $6.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $614 in Nogales. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal versus $45.00 in Nogales. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $269 – making Nogales the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Nogales

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

07:14 7:14 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

261,137

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Nogales 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Nogales

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 Nogales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 76% more than Nogales, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $1,707 in Nogales. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nogales, 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 $75.0 in Montreal and $45.00 in Nogales. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nogales, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Nogales it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nogales costs $1,138 versus $2,003 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nogales. 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.