Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Oshawa and in Monterrey

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Oshawa and in Monterrey actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,370 in Oshawa versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Oshawa $2,370
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,414 in Oshawa versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Oshawa $3,414
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,457 in Oshawa versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Oshawa $4,457
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Oshawa is roughly 44% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oshawa 75% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 CA$19.98

$13.37 MX$251

6.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$89.1

$47.95 MX$900

32.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 CA$11.67

$10.79 MX$203

-22.80%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$4.97

$3.77 MX$70.7

-6.10%

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

$1.77 CA$2.48

$1.51 MX$28.37

17.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.03 MX$19.33

32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.81

$2.48 MX$46.60

95.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 CA$8.47

$4.36 MX$81.8

38.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$1.89 MX$35.58

53.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.85 MX$53.5

2.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.77

$1.86 MX$34.86

121.51%

Eggs

$2.97 CA$4.16

$2.47 MX$46.31

20.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 CA$14.21

$11.81 MX$222

-14.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 CA$19.27

$8.97 MX$168

53.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 CA$23.27

$12.57 MX$236

32.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.89

$3.20 MX$60.0

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.50 MX$28.23

-18.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.12

$2.12 MX$39.90

38.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.39

$2.33 MX$43.82

64.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.71

$2.22 MX$41.75

51.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$2.58 MX$48.54

-0.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$1.45 MX$27.15

62.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$1.22 MX$22.94

41.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$20.03

$4.80 MX$90.1

197.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 CA$17.70

$13.30 MX$250

-5.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 CA$4.94

$1.93 MX$36.28

82.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 CA$4.89

$2.86 MX$53.6

22.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.95

$0.80 MX$15.00

252.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 CA$122

$30.94 MX$581

181.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$1.83 MX$34.42

49.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.06 MX$19.86

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.44

$10.82 MX$203

80.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.47 MX$27.65

-15.65%

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

$28.8K CA$40.3K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

19.50%

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

$22.9K CA$32.1K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

-2.62%

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

$139 CA$195

$115 MX$2,152

21.23%

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

$37.94 CA$53.2

$26.37 MX$495

43.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CA$76.2

$25.70 MX$483

111.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.91 CA$32.11

$30.53 MX$573

-24.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.28 CA$41.05

$21.27 MX$400

37.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.23

$4.96 MX$93.1

118.95%

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

$922 CA$1,292

$679 MX$12.7K

35.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,083 CA$11.3K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

-43.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$81.7

$72.2 MX$1,356

-19.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 CA$80.8

$41.94 MX$788

37.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 CA$150

$107 MX$2,019

-0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 CA$181

$119 MX$2,228

8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 CA$1,963

$1,018 MX$19.1K

37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,692

$722 MX$13.6K

67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 CA$2,807

$1,966 MX$36.9K

1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 CA$2,556

$1,416 MX$26.6K

28.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,158 CA$7,230

$4,203 MX$78.9K

22.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CA$14.5K

$2,782 MX$52.2K

271.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,274

$1,096 MX$20.6K

178.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

11.79

-61.58%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 40.2% $486

Groceries & Markets

Oshawa

$390 16.5%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 22.5% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oshawa

$231 9.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 27.9% $65

Eating Out

Oshawa

$230 9.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 6.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Oshawa

$158 6.7%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 3.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Oshawa

$108 4.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 61.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Oshawa

$45 1.9%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 9.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,400 in Oshawa and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oshawa pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Oshawa vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

1 h behind Oshawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,458

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Oshawa Monterrey 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Oshawa
Monterrey

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

Oshawa vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,370 in Oshawa and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Oshawa is about 2.8 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,400 in Oshawa versus $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Monterrey – a meal for two runs $48 versus $64 in Oshawa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,370 per month in Oshawa versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Monterrey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Monterrey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Oshawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.