Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Puerto Vallarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Vallarta: $1,635 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
Learn more

Puerto Vallarta Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Puerto Vallarta

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,635 in Puerto Vallarta, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Puerto Vallarta $1,635

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,465 in Puerto Vallarta, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Puerto Vallarta $2,465

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,295 in Puerto Vallarta, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Puerto Vallarta $3,295

Montreal costs about 23% more than Puerto Vallarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Puerto Vallarta sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Puerto Vallarta by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$13.94 MX$256

38.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$57.4 MX$1,054

31.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$10.90 MX$200

-2.48%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$4.06 MX$74.5

-3.20%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.95 MX$35.86

-1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.39 MX$25.45

6.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.09 MX$56.7

103.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.34 MX$79.7

65.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.91 MX$34.99

16.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$3.49 MX$64.1

-12.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$2.02 MX$37.07

45.54%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.25 MX$41.33

56.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$9.93 MX$182

32.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$11.00 MX$202

2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$16.15 MX$296

-14.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.86 MX$52.5

18.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.54 MX$28.23

-6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.93 MX$35.50

68.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$2.12 MX$38.99

35.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$2.34 MX$43.02

-20.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$3.19 MX$58.5

-42.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.39 MX$25.55

74.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.15 MX$21.16

32.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.48 MX$82.3

155.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$10.88 MX$200

-4.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.87 MX$34.42

18.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.71 MX$49.77

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.62 MX$11.42

316.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$21.37 MX$392

259.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$4.60 MX$84.4

-29.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$3.01 MX$55.3

-50.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$4.48 MX$82.3

637.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.56 MX$28.71

-12.82%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.4K MX$393.8K

27.88%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$24.7K MX$453.5K

-19.13%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$85.6 MX$1,572

-11.11%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$26.25 MX$482

32.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$32.63 MX$599

30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$36.80 MX$676

-21.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$15.19 MX$279

33.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$8.75 MX$161

28.11%

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

$505 CA$720

$328 MX$6,021

54.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$6,190 MX$113.6K

158.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$55.0 MX$1,010

6.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$34.89 MX$641

8.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$103 MX$1,897

-10.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$97.8 MX$1,796

8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$1,303 MX$23.9K

-4.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$699 MX$12.8K

41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$2,040 MX$37.5K

3.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,145 MX$21.0K

41.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$5,090 MX$93.4K

-0.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$2,598 MX$47.7K

47.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$948 MX$17.4K

208.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.7

-61.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Puerto Vallarta

$699 43.2% 29.1% $287

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Puerto Vallarta

$316 19.5% 8.2% $28

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Puerto Vallarta

$230 14.2% 21.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Puerto Vallarta

$145 8.9% 5.9% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Puerto Vallarta

$131 8.1% 1.3% $1.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Puerto Vallarta

$44 2.7% 55.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Puerto Vallarta

$54 3.4% 5.7% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 208% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal versus $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $316 – making Puerto Vallarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

224,166

💱 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 Puerto Vallarta 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Puerto Vallarta

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 Puerto Vallarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 23% more than Puerto Vallarta, 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 $2,452 in Puerto Vallarta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Vallarta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Vallarta, where all-in costs run around $1,635, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Puerto Vallarta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Vallarta costs $1,635 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 Puerto Vallarta. 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.