Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Sayulita

For one person, living is cheaper in Sayulita: $1,107 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,018
/mo nomad
Sayulita
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Sayulita

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,107 in Sayulita, rent included.

  • Montreal $2,018
  • Sayulita $1,107

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,769 in Sayulita, rent included.

  • Montreal $3,085
  • Sayulita $1,769

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,430 in Sayulita, rent included.

  • Montreal $4,152
  • Sayulita $2,430

Montreal costs about 82% more than Sayulita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Sayulita is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.82 CA$26.61
$10.78 MX$199
74.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.3 CA$99.4
$38.36 MX$709
83.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 CA$15.06
$8.15 MX$151
30.80%
Cappuccino
$3.84 CA$5.43
$3.34 MX$61.8
14.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.71
$1.24 MX$22.96
54.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 CA$2.18
$0.98 MX$18.04
57.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.23 CA$8.81
$2.18 MX$40.28
185.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 CA$10.03
$3.86 MX$71.3
83.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 CA$3.27
$1.50 MX$27.66
54.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$2.64 MX$48.75
18.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 CA$4.54
$1.56 MX$28.83
105.77%
Eggs
$3.52 CA$4.97
$2.37 MX$43.83
48.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.81 CA$18.11
$7.89 MX$146
62.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.46 CA$16.20
$7.66 MX$142
49.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.39 CA$18.92
$10.77 MX$199
24.33%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.43
$2.60 MX$47.97
20.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.03
$1.39 MX$25.65
3.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.47 CA$4.91
$1.72 MX$31.81
101.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 CA$4.34
$1.69 MX$31.17
81.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 CA$2.69
$1.86 MX$34.29
2.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 CA$2.50
$1.99 MX$36.86
-11.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 CA$3.31
$1.24 MX$22.96
88.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 CA$2.19
$0.97 MX$17.95
59.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.38 CA$16.09
$4.30 MX$79.5
164.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 CA$15.03
$10.91 MX$202
-2.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$1.59 MX$29.42
42.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 CA$3.99
$2.79 MX$51.5
1.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.66 CA$3.76
$0.66 MX$12.19
303.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.3 CA$109
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 CA$4.53
$2.57 MX$47.56
24.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.09
$1.54 MX$28.49
-3.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.88 CA$46.48
$8.46 MX$156
288.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 CA$1.90
$1.27 MX$23.41
5.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$21.5K MX$397.2K
30.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K CA$27.8K
$22.1K MX$408.5K
-11.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.0 CA$107
$57.2 MX$1,057
32.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.95 CA$48.00
$22.36 MX$413
51.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.31 CA$59.8
$28.67 MX$530
47.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.76 CA$42.07
$36.71 MX$678
-18.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.28 CA$28.67
$15.94 MX$295
27.23%
Cinema Ticket
$11.15 CA$15.77
$4.70 MX$86.8
137.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$507 CA$717
$206 MX$3,812
145.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K CA$22.7K
$3,640 MX$67.3K
341.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 CA$81.4
$53.8 MX$995
6.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.58 CA$53.1
$39.12 MX$723
-3.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$91.7 MX$1,694
0.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$79.7 MX$1,473
37.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 CA$1,782
$506 MX$9,358
148.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$948 CA$1,340
$393 MX$7,269
140.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,137 CA$3,021
$950 MX$17.6K
124.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 CA$2,281
$774 MX$14.3K
108.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,960 CA$7,011
$1,721 MX$31.8K
188.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,838 CA$5,425
$1,160 MX$21.4K
230.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Sayulita
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,827 CA$3,997
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
11.48
-60.98%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sayulita: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$948
Sayulita
$393 58.5% $554
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$346
Sayulita
$250 28% $97
Eating Out
Montreal
$288
Sayulita
$178 38.1% $110
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$152
Sayulita
$108 28.9% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$133
Sayulita
$119 10.9% $15
Getting Around
Montreal
$99
Sayulita
$13 * 86.9% $86
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$52
Sayulita
$46 11.4% $6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $506 in Sayulita. 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $38.00 in Sayulita. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $250 – making Sayulita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇲🇽 Sayulita
🕒 Local time
04:20 4:20 AM
02:20 2:20 AM
2 h behind Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
5,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Sayulita 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Sayulita

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 Sayulita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or Sayulita?
Montreal costs about 82% more than Sayulita, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Montreal and in Sayulita?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,661 in Sayulita. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Montreal or Sayulita?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sayulita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Montreal and in Sayulita?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $38.00 in Sayulita. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Montreal or in Sayulita?
Groceries cost about 39% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Montreal or in Sayulita?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sayulita, where all-in costs run around $1,107, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Sayulita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or Sayulita?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sayulita costs $1,107 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Montreal compared to Sayulita?
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.
Should I move to Montreal or to Sayulita?
If budget matters most, go with Sayulita. 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.

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