Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,567 a month against $1,854 in Quebec City, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,854

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Quebec City 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 Quebec City and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,854 in Quebec City versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Quebec City $1,854
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,819 in Quebec City versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Quebec City $2,819
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,784 in Quebec City versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Quebec City $3,784
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Quebec City is roughly 18% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 37% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.65 CA$29.20

$10.75 MX$199

92.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 CA$93.5

$50.3 MX$929

31.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 CA$15.52

$11.10 MX$205

-1.08%

Cappuccino

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.68 MX$68.1

1.63%

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

$2.06 CA$2.92

$1.65 MX$30.42

24.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.30 MX$24.08

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 CA$7.71

$3.32 MX$61.3

64.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$5.54 MX$102

1.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 CA$2.86

$1.77 MX$32.68

14.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.05 MX$56.4

-6.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 CA$5.99

$2.01 MX$37.20

110.95%

Eggs

$3.04 CA$4.29

$2.77 MX$51.1

9.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.90 CA$12.58

$11.91 MX$220

-25.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.32

$9.33 MX$172

16.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 CA$14.48

$15.02 MX$278

-31.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.80

$3.08 MX$56.8

33.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.14

$1.95 MX$35.97

-22.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 CA$5.22

$2.03 MX$37.54

82.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.52

$2.21 MX$40.92

76.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.02 MX$37.41

44.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$1.82 MX$33.67

57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.52 MX$28.07

76.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.28 MX$23.65

15.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.76 CA$20.86

$5.27 MX$97.4

180.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 CA$15.67

$16.12 MX$298

-31.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.95 MX$36.05

56.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CA$4.59

$4.25 MX$78.6

-23.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 CA$4.06

$0.31 MX$5.82

825.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$99.8

$19.85 MX$367

255.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$2.00 MX$36.93

40.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.97

$0.53 MX$9.86

164.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.75 CA$49.13

$5.62 MX$104

518.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.52 MX$28.07

-17.11%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$21.0K MX$388.7K

29.83%

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

$21.1K CA$29.8K

$25.2K MX$465.3K

-16.19%

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

$97.4 CA$138

$62.5 MX$1,155

55.93%

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

$31.01 CA$43.84

$28.77 MX$532

7.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.26 CA$62.6

$34.45 MX$637

28.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.36 CA$48.58

$57.1 MX$1,055

-39.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.13 CA$21.39

$24.81 MX$458

-39.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.82 CA$15.29

$6.67 MX$123

62.22%

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

$678 CA$958

$431 MX$7,964

57.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,045 CA$12.8K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-22.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 CA$81.3

$70.8 MX$1,308

-18.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.94 CA$70.6

$51.8 MX$958

-3.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 CA$126

$109 MX$2,011

-17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$112 MX$2,076

-6.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 CA$1,424

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 CA$1,077

$665 MX$12.3K

14.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 CA$2,171

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 CA$1,777

$1,227 MX$22.7K

2.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,735 CA$6,694

$3,554 MX$65.7K

33.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,669 CA$3,773

$1,977 MX$36.5K

35.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,961 CA$4,186

$975 MX$18.0K

203.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

11.3

-60.71%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$762 41.1%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 12.7% $97

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$340 18.4%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 5.1% $17

Eating Out

Quebec City

$295 15.9%

Mexico City

$203 13% 31.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$173 9.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 27.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$136 7.3%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 14% $19

Getting Around

Quebec City

$92 5%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 71.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$56 3%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 25.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,008 in Quebec City and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays 204% 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: $66.0 in Quebec City vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $323 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

16:14 4:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

2 h behind Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quebec City Mexico City 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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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

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

Quebec City and Mexico City differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,854 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 204% higher in Quebec City, 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: $1,008 in Quebec City versus $1,051 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 256% less than in Quebec City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $678 in Quebec City versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,854 in Quebec City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Quebec City. 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Quebec City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.