Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Tijuana

For one person, living is cheaper in Tijuana: $1,303 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Tijuana
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Tijuana Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Tijuana

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Tijuana

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,303 in Tijuana, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Tijuana $1,303

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,067 in Tijuana, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Tijuana $2,067

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,831 in Tijuana, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Tijuana $2,831

Montreal costs about 54% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Tijuana is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$11.98 MX$220

61.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$35.25 MX$647

114.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$9.69 MX$178

9.70%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$4.34 MX$79.7

-9.45%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.42 MX$26.15

35.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.22 MX$22.33

21.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.37 MX$61.8

86.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$6.51 MX$119

10.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.78 MX$32.63

24.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.87 MX$52.8

6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.81 MX$33.14

62.43%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$3.25 MX$59.7

8.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$8.15 MX$150

61.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$7.55 MX$139

48.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$12.06 MX$221

14.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.87 MX$52.8

18.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.68 MX$30.76

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.90 MX$34.79

71.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.67 MX$30.60

72.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.59 MX$29.23

16.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.87 MX$34.42

-2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.52 MX$27.85

59.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.03 MX$18.91

47.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.42 MX$81.1

159.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$8.24 MX$151

25.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.17 MX$39.91

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$4.11 MX$75.5

-31.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.13 MX$20.74

128.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$30.84 MX$566

149.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.84 MX$52.1

14.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.26 MX$41.44

-34.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$19.42 MX$357

70.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.54 MX$28.27

-11.69%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.5K MX$395.2K

27.42%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$24.7K MX$453.8K

-19.19%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$46.78 MX$859

62.72%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$34.62 MX$636

0.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$29.93 MX$550

42.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$41.13 MX$755

-29.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$8.05 MX$148

152.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$6.91 MX$127

62.23%

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

$505 CA$720

$209 MX$3,839

141.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$4,606 MX$84.6K

247.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$54.3 MX$997

7.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$47.02 MX$863

-19.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$104 MX$1,903

-10.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$70.0 MX$1,286

51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$868 MX$15.9K

42.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$481 MX$8,827

105.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,553 MX$28.5K

35.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$905 MX$16.6K

78.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$3,095 MX$56.8K

62.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$2,713 MX$49.8K

41.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$951 MX$17.5K

207.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

12.07

-63.05%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tijuana: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Tijuana

$481 36.8% 51.2% $505

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Tijuana

$268 20.5% 22% $76

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Tijuana

$217 16.7% 25.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Tijuana

$111 8.5% 27.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Tijuana

$124 9.5% 6.8% $9

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Tijuana

$49 3.8% 49.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Tijuana

$55 4.2% 7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $868 in Tijuana. 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 207% 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 $35.00 in Tijuana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $268 – making Tijuana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Tijuana

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

03:10 3:10 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,810,645

💱 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 Tijuana 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Tijuana

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 Tijuana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 54% more than Tijuana, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,955 in Tijuana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tijuana, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $35.00 in Tijuana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tijuana, where all-in costs run around $1,303, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Tijuana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tijuana costs $1,303 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 Tijuana. 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.