Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Tulum

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,252 in Tulum, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Tulum $1,252

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,131 in Tulum, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Tulum $2,131

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,010 in Tulum, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Tulum $3,010

Montreal costs about 60% more than Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Tulum is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$8.26 MX$150

133.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$56.4 MX$1,026

33.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$8.13 MX$148

30.75%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$3.87 MX$70.4

1.55%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.14 MX$20.80

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.18 MX$21.42

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$2.94 MX$53.5

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$3.80 MX$69.1

89.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.58 MX$28.75

40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$2.00 MX$36.31

53.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$1.74 MX$31.71

68.97%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$1.89 MX$34.29

86.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$5.55 MX$101

137.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$7.93 MX$144

41.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$9.09 MX$165

51.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$2.66 MX$48.31

27.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.42 MX$25.75

1.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$1.52 MX$27.67

114.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$1.50 MX$27.34

92.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$2.28 MX$41.45

-18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.86 MX$33.77

-2.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.51 MX$27.40

60.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.83 MX$15.11

83.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$4.39 MX$79.9

160.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$8.35 MX$152

24.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.39 MX$25.31

59.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$1.32 MX$24.00

113.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.40 MX$25.48

84.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$2.81 MX$51.2

15.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.44 MX$44.47

-39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$5.58 MX$102

492.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.52 MX$27.71

-10.53%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$21.4K MX$389.2K

28.17%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$23.8K MX$433.0K

-16.07%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$106 MX$1,927

-28.15%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$16.87 MX$307

105.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$34.97 MX$636

22.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$34.35 MX$625

-15.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$6.45 MX$117

73.80%

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

$505 CA$718

$263 MX$4,776

92.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$3,022 MX$55.0K

429.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$42.26 MX$769

38.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$33.26 MX$605

14.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$97.4 MX$1,772

-4.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$60.2 MX$1,095

75.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$614 MX$11.2K

102.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$539 MX$9,808

82.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$1,504 MX$27.4K

39.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$1,316 MX$23.9K

22.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$3,162 MX$57.5K

59.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$1,818 MX$33.1K

110.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$784 MX$14.3K

272.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

10.8

-58.70%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Tulum

$539 42.8% 45.3% $447

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Tulum

$222 17.6% 35.4% $122

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Tulum

$169 13.4% 42.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Tulum

$158 12.5% 2.8% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Tulum

$105 8.3% 21% $28

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Tulum

$21 * 1.6% 78.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Tulum

$47 3.8% 8% $4.1

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 Tulum. 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 272% 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 $56.0 in Tulum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $222 – making Tulum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

00:15 12:15 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

46,721

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Tulum 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 60% more than Tulum, 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 $1,878 in Tulum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulum, 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 $56.0 in Tulum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,252, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Tulum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tulum costs $1,252 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 Tulum. 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.