Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Vallarta and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Vallarta: $1,635 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Vallarta
Learn more

Puerto Vallarta Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Vallarta

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,635

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Vallarta and in Montreal

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

A single person spends $1,635 per month in Puerto Vallarta vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Puerto Vallarta $1,635
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $2,465 per month in Puerto Vallarta vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Puerto Vallarta $2,465
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $3,295 per month in Puerto Vallarta vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Puerto Vallarta $3,295
Montreal $4,092

Puerto Vallarta is about 18% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto Vallarta and Montreal sit above the global median – Puerto Vallarta by 22%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 MX$256

$19.31 CA$27.52

-27.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 MX$1,054

$75.5 CA$108

-23.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$200

$10.63 CA$15.15

2.54%

Cappuccino

$4.06 MX$74.5

$3.93 CA$5.60

3.31%

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

$1.95 MX$35.86

$1.92 CA$2.73

1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.45

$1.48 CA$2.11

-6.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 MX$56.7

$6.30 CA$8.98

-50.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 MX$79.7

$7.19 CA$10.24

-39.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 MX$34.99

$2.22 CA$3.17

-13.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 MX$64.1

$3.06 CA$4.36

14.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.07

$2.94 CA$4.19

-31.29%

Eggs

$2.25 MX$41.33

$3.53 CA$5.03

-36.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 MX$182

$13.19 CA$18.79

-24.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.00 MX$202

$11.24 CA$16.02

-2.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.15 MX$296

$13.81 CA$19.69

16.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.5

$3.40 CA$4.85

-15.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$1.44 CA$2.06

6.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.50

$3.26 CA$4.65

-40.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$38.99

$2.88 CA$4.10

-26.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.02

$1.86 CA$2.65

25.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 MX$58.5

$1.82 CA$2.60

75.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$25.55

$2.43 CA$3.46

-42.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 MX$21.16

$1.52 CA$2.17

-24.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$11.45 CA$16.32

-60.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 MX$200

$10.36 CA$14.76

5.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 MX$34.42

$2.22 CA$3.16

-15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 MX$49.77

$2.82 CA$4.02

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.42

$2.58 CA$3.67

-75.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 MX$392

$76.9 CA$110

-72.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 MX$84.4

$3.25 CA$4.64

41.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.01 MX$55.3

$1.48 CA$2.11

103.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 MX$82.3

$33.04 CA$47.09

-86.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.71

$1.36 CA$1.94

14.71%

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

$21.4K MX$393.8K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-21.80%

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

$24.7K MX$453.5K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

23.65%

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

$85.6 MX$1,572

$76.1 CA$109

12.49%

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

$26.25 MX$482

$34.68 CA$49.43

-24.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.63 MX$599

$42.69 CA$60.9

-23.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 MX$676

$28.94 CA$41.26

27.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 MX$279

$20.33 CA$28.97

-25.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 MX$161

$11.21 CA$15.98

-21.94%

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

$328 MX$6,021

$505 CA$720

-35.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,190 MX$113.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-61.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,010

$58.5 CA$83.4

-6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 MX$641

$38.00 CA$54.2

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,897

$92.7 CA$132

11.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 MX$1,796

$106 CA$151

-7.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 MX$23.9K

$1,240 CA$1,768

5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$699 MX$12.8K

$986 CA$1,405

-29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 MX$37.5K

$2,102 CA$2,996

-2.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 MX$21.0K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-29.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,090 MX$93.4K

$5,043 CA$7,188

0.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,598 MX$47.7K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-32.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$948 MX$17.4K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-67.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

4.46

162.33%

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

Last update for Puerto Vallarta: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Vallarta

$699 43.2%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 41.1% $287

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Vallarta

$316 19.5%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 8.9% $28

Eating Out

Puerto Vallarta

$230 14.2%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 27.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Vallarta

$145 8.9%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 6.2% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Vallarta

$131 8.1%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 1.3% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Vallarta

$54 3.4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 5.4% $2.9

Getting Around

Puerto Vallarta

$44 2.7%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 125% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,303 in Puerto Vallarta versus $1,240 in Montreal. 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 208% 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 $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $344 – making Puerto Vallarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

2 h ahead of Puerto Vallarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

224,166

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Vallarta Montreal 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Vallarta
Montreal

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

Puerto Vallarta vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 23% more than Puerto Vallarta, 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 $2,452 per month in Puerto Vallarta and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Vallarta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% 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 $57.0 in Puerto Vallarta and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Vallarta, where all-in costs run around $1,635, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Puerto Vallarta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Vallarta costs $1,635 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 Puerto Vallarta. 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.