Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Zihuatanejo

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $1,131 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Zihuatanejo $1,131

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $1,824 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Zihuatanejo $1,824

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $2,517 in Zihuatanejo, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Zihuatanejo $2,517

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

Montreal sits 52% above the global median, while Zihuatanejo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.40

$10.86 MX$203

73.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$103

$44.16 MX$827

65.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.77

$8.74 MX$164

20.59%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.56

$3.48 MX$65.2

14.08%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.36 MX$25.45

42.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.20

$1.02 MX$19.08

53.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.00

$2.45 MX$45.89

162.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.10

$3.98 MX$74.4

80.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.25

$1.66 MX$31.05

39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.47

$2.55 MX$47.69

25.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.46

$1.65 MX$30.90

93.33%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.15

$2.44 MX$45.61

50.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.56

$8.11 MX$152

63.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.39

$8.52 MX$159

37.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.59

$11.56 MX$216

20.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.40

$2.72 MX$51.0

15.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$1.56 MX$29.27

-7.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.73

$1.94 MX$36.39

74.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.36

$1.77 MX$33.10

75.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.70

$1.94 MX$36.24

-0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$1.88 MX$35.15

-2.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.31

$1.43 MX$26.71

65.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.11

$1.09 MX$20.47

37.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.59

$4.28 MX$80.1

159.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.85

$10.27 MX$192

3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.11

$1.82 MX$34.04

21.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.98

$3.06 MX$57.3

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.68

$0.68 MX$12.77

285.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.52

$2.61 MX$48.93

23.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.08

$2.02 MX$37.88

-26.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.15

$11.18 MX$209

188.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.44 MX$26.93

-5.56%

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

$27.6K CA$38.7K

$21.3K MX$398.4K

29.87%

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

$21.2K CA$29.7K

$23.9K MX$447.0K

-11.26%

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

$77.0 CA$108

$57.3 MX$1,072

34.54%

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

$34.14 CA$47.84

$23.00 MX$431

48.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.1

$29.80 MX$558

41.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.18

$34.76 MX$651

-11.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.54

$20.02 MX$375

-1.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.08

$5.14 MX$96.2

123.15%

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

$506 CA$709

$216 MX$4,041

134.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$4,526 MX$84.7K

258.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$80.2

$55.5 MX$1,038

3.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.4

$40.25 MX$753

-5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$129

$98.5 MX$1,844

-6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$90.0 MX$1,684

21.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,733

$596 MX$11.1K

107.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,369

$384 MX$7,182

154.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,055

$1,053 MX$19.7K

107.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,253

$759 MX$14.2K

111.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,165

$1,915 MX$35.8K

166.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,247

$1,149 MX$21.5K

225.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,144

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.3

-60.35%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Zihuatanejo

$384 34% 60.7% $593

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3% 24.9% $87

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3% 36.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7% 28.2% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3% 4.3% $5.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4% 84.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Zihuatanejo

$45 4% 16.2% $8.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. 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 $73 in Montreal versus $44 in Zihuatanejo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $264 – making Zihuatanejo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

67,408

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.714 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.714 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Zihuatanejo 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 82% more than Zihuatanejo, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $1,237 in Montreal.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $44 in Zihuatanejo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zihuatanejo, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Zihuatanejo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zihuatanejo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.