Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Miguel de Allende

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,641 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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 San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in San Miguel de Allende

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 San Miguel de Allende actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,641 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
San Miguel de Allende $1,641

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,591 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
San Miguel de Allende $2,591

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,541 in San Miguel de Allende, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
San Miguel de Allende $3,541

Montreal costs about 22% more than San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and San Miguel de Allende sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, San Miguel de Allende by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$15.45 MX$284

24.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$42.79 MX$786

76.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$10.55 MX$194

0.76%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.83 MX$70.3

2.61%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.68 MX$30.81

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.07 MX$19.65

38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.71 MX$68.1

69.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$5.99 MX$110

20.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.50 MX$27.59

48.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$3.32 MX$60.9

-7.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.79 MX$32.86

64.25%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.94 MX$53.9

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$8.38 MX$154

57.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$12.46 MX$229

-9.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$18.77 MX$345

-26.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$3.99 MX$73.2

-14.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.67 MX$30.67

-13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$2.87 MX$52.8

13.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$2.86 MX$52.6

0.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$2.56 MX$47.06

-27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$3.15 MX$57.8

-42.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.15 MX$21.18

111.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.31 MX$24.05

16.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.32 MX$79.2

165.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$16.72 MX$307

-38.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.45 MX$44.97

-9.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.95 MX$72.5

-28.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.57 MX$10.47

352.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$6.61 MX$121

1063.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$4.42 MX$81.1

-26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$4.51 MX$82.7

-67.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$11.13 MX$204

196.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.49 MX$27.31

-8.72%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.3K MX$390.3K

29.00%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$24.6K MX$451.4K

-18.75%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$41.27 MX$758

84.44%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$16.18 MX$297

114.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$41.42 MX$761

3.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$37.16 MX$682

-22.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$42.82 MX$786

-52.52%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$6.55 MX$120

71.15%

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

$505 CA$720

$361 MX$6,631

39.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$4,936 MX$90.6K

224.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$65.4 MX$1,201

-10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$61.9 MX$1,136

-38.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$115 MX$2,106

-19.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$150 MX$2,755

-29.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$1,097 MX$20.1K

13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$663 MX$12.2K

48.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$2,393 MX$43.9K

-12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,375 MX$25.2K

17.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,740 MX$50.3K

84.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,636 MX$30.0K

134.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$627 MX$11.5K

366.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

12.05

-62.99%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

San Miguel de Allende

$663 40.9% 32.7% $323

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

San Miguel de Allende

$355 21.9% 3.2% $11

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

San Miguel de Allende

$243 15% 17.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$99 6.1% 35.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$176 10.9% 32.9% $44

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

San Miguel de Allende

$36 2.2% 63.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.1% 2.1% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende. 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 366% 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 $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Montreal vs $355 in San Miguel de Allende – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🕒 Local time

04:02 4:02 AM

02:02 2:02 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

72,452

💱 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 = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal San Miguel de Allende 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Miguel de Allende

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 San Miguel de Allende: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 22% more than San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,462 in San Miguel de Allende. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Miguel de Allende, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Montreal at $2,003. In San Miguel de Allende it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Miguel de Allende costs $1,641 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 San Miguel de Allende. 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.