Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ottawa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,548 a month against $2,416 in Ottawa, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ottawa
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Ottawa Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Ottawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ottawa and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,416 in Ottawa versus $1,548 in Mexico City.

Ottawa $2,416
Mexico City $1,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,537 in Ottawa versus $2,436 in Mexico City.

Ottawa $3,537
Mexico City $2,436

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,658 in Ottawa versus $3,323 in Mexico City.

Ottawa $4,658
Mexico City $3,323

Living in Ottawa is roughly 56% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ottawa 78% above, Mexico City 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.62 CA$24.91

$11.02 MX$204

59.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 CA$111

$48.68 MX$900

61.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 CA$15.00

$10.90 MX$201

-2.66%

Cappuccino

$4.04 CA$5.71

$3.68 MX$68.1

9.78%

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

$2.08 CA$2.94

$1.63 MX$30.18

27.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.25 MX$23.07

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.71 CA$8.08

$3.25 MX$60.1

75.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 CA$9.14

$5.53 MX$102

17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 CA$3.39

$1.70 MX$31.50

41.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 CA$4.19

$3.02 MX$55.8

-1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$1.92 MX$35.53

50.00%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$2.73 MX$50.5

18.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 CA$16.27

$11.77 MX$218

-2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 CA$16.41

$9.53 MX$176

21.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.02 CA$26.90

$14.41 MX$266

31.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.02 MX$55.8

23.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.89 MX$35.01

-32.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$1.99 MX$36.70

95.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.10

$2.19 MX$40.38

64.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$1.92 MX$35.43

33.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.87 MX$34.49

27.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.44 MX$26.62

81.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.27 MX$23.39

15.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.45 CA$20.43

$5.22 MX$96.4

176.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 CA$17.63

$16.17 MX$299

-22.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$1.90 MX$35.03

37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.50

$4.22 MX$78.0

-24.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$0.34 MX$6.30

761.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 CA$134

$19.65 MX$363

381.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.00 MX$36.90

34.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$0.52 MX$9.67

194.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.08 CA$26.98

$5.34 MX$98.7

257.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 CA$1.74

$1.52 MX$28.13

-19.08%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$22.1K MX$408.0K

24.90%

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

$22.3K CA$31.5K

$24.5K MX$452.9K

-9.12%

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

$139 CA$196

$61.1 MX$1,129

127.59%

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

$37.37 CA$52.8

$28.58 MX$528

30.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 CA$72.3

$34.47 MX$637

48.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.10 CA$68.0

$56.4 MX$1,042

-14.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 CA$39.43

$24.88 MX$460

12.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 CA$17.93

$6.66 MX$123

90.39%

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

$928 CA$1,311

$427 MX$7,891

117.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$11.6K MX$215.0K

37.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$67.8 MX$1,253

-15.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.28 CA$52.7

$52.0 MX$960

-28.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$146

$106 MX$1,959

-2.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.5 CA$138

$113 MX$2,080

-13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,437 CA$2,031

$1,025 MX$18.9K

40.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 CA$1,717

$654 MX$12.1K

85.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,310 CA$3,266

$2,308 MX$42.7K

0.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,645

$1,242 MX$22.9K

50.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,326 CA$6,115

$3,613 MX$66.8K

19.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,547 CA$6,428

$1,936 MX$35.8K

134.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,730 CA$5,274

$964 MX$17.8K

286.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

11.3

-63.19%

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

Last update for Ottawa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ottawa

$1.2K 50.3%

Mexico City

$654 42.3% 46.1% $560

Groceries & Markets

Ottawa

$373 15.4%

Mexico City

$318 20.6% 14.6% $54

Eating Out

Ottawa

$278 11.5%

Mexico City

$204 13.2% 26.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ottawa

$227 9.4%

Mexico City

$124 8% 45.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Ottawa

$133 5.5%

Mexico City

$152 9.8% 14.6% $19

Getting Around

Ottawa

$117 4.8%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 78% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Ottawa

$73 3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 5.1% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,437 in Ottawa and $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ottawa pays 287% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $79.0 in Ottawa vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $318 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Ottawa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

16:02 4:02 PM

2 h behind Ottawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,000,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ottawa Mexico City 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ottawa
Mexico City

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

Ottawa vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ottawa and Mexico City differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,416 vs $1,548 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 287% higher in Ottawa, 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: $1,437 in Ottawa versus $1,025 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 381% less than in Ottawa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $928 in Ottawa versus $427 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,548 in Mexico City versus $2,416 in Ottawa, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Ottawa. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Ottawa and Mexico City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Ottawa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.