Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $1,951 in Quebec City, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,951

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,951 in Quebec City versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Quebec City $1,951
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,942 in Quebec City versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Quebec City $2,942
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,933 in Quebec City versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Quebec City $3,933
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Quebec City is roughly 19% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Quebec City 44% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.23 CA$29.86

$13.37 MX$250

58.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 CA$94.4

$47.95 MX$897

40.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 CA$15.81

$10.79 MX$202

4.17%

Cappuccino

$3.86 CA$5.43

$3.77 MX$70.4

2.39%

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

$2.16 CA$3.04

$1.51 MX$28.26

43.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.07

$1.03 MX$19.25

42.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.87 CA$8.26

$2.48 MX$46.41

136.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.27

$4.36 MX$81.5

34.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.93

$1.89 MX$35.43

10.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.90

$2.85 MX$53.3

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.88

$1.86 MX$34.71

124.73%

Eggs

$3.05 CA$4.30

$2.47 MX$46.12

23.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 CA$12.27

$11.81 MX$221

-26.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 CA$15.08

$8.97 MX$168

19.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.53 CA$14.81

$12.57 MX$235

-16.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.77

$3.20 MX$59.8

28.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.50 MX$28.12

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.30

$2.12 MX$39.74

77.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 CA$5.79

$2.33 MX$43.64

76.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 CA$4.00

$2.22 MX$41.58

28.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.96

$2.58 MX$48.34

9.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 CA$3.93

$1.45 MX$27.04

93.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.06

$1.22 MX$22.85

19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.10 CA$21.23

$4.80 MX$89.7

214.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 CA$16.03

$13.30 MX$249

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$1.93 MX$36.14

64.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 CA$4.77

$2.86 MX$53.4

18.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 CA$3.93

$0.80 MX$14.94

248.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 CA$99.7

$30.94 MX$579

129.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 CA$4.21

$1.83 MX$34.28

63.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.06 MX$19.78

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.67 CA$48.76

$10.82 MX$202

220.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 CA$1.90

$1.47 MX$27.54

-8.16%

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

$28.5K CA$40.1K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

18.25%

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

$22.7K CA$32.0K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

-3.41%

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

$100 CA$141

$115 MX$2,144

-12.39%

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

$31.38 CA$44.13

$26.37 MX$493

19.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.42 CA$63.9

$25.70 MX$481

76.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.73 CA$48.84

$30.53 MX$571

13.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 CA$21.53

$21.27 MX$398

-28.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.28

$4.96 MX$92.8

118.95%

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

$701 CA$986

$679 MX$12.7K

3.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,407 CA$7,604

$14.2K MX$265.3K

-61.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 CA$82.8

$72.2 MX$1,350

-18.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 CA$73.5

$41.94 MX$784

24.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 CA$130

$107 MX$2,011

-14.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$153

$119 MX$2,219

-8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 CA$1,477

$1,018 MX$19.0K

3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 CA$1,175

$722 MX$13.5K

15.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 CA$2,389

$1,966 MX$36.8K

-13.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 CA$1,909

$1,416 MX$26.5K

-4.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,809 CA$6,764

$4,203 MX$78.6K

14.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,811 CA$3,953

$2,782 MX$52.0K

1.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,975 CA$4,183

$1,096 MX$20.5K

171.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.45

11.79

-62.26%

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

Last update for Quebec City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$836 42.9%

Monterrey

$722 44% 13.7% $114

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$343 17.6%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 11.9% $41

Eating Out

Quebec City

$306 15.7%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 29.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$177 9.1%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 5.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$141 7.2%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 8.9% $12

Getting Around

Quebec City

$92 4.7%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 55.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$56 2.9%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 28.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,050 in Quebec City and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quebec City pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Quebec City vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h behind Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 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 = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.9 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quebec City Monterrey 3,480 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Quebec City
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,951 in Quebec City and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Quebec City is about 2.7 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: $1,050 in Quebec City 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 $67 in Quebec City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,951 per month in Quebec City versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 16% 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 16% less than in Quebec City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.