Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel de Allende and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende: $1,641 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Miguel de Allende 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 San Miguel de Allende and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,641 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $1,641
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $2,591
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $3,541 per month in San Miguel de Allende vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

San Miguel de Allende $3,541
Montreal $4,092

San Miguel de Allende is about 18% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Miguel de Allende and Montreal sit above the global median – San Miguel de Allende by 22%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.45 MX$284

$19.31 CA$27.52

-19.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.79 MX$786

$75.5 CA$108

-43.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 MX$194

$10.63 CA$15.15

-0.75%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.3

$3.93 CA$5.60

-2.54%

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

$1.68 MX$30.81

$1.92 CA$2.73

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$19.65

$1.48 CA$2.11

-27.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 MX$68.1

$6.30 CA$8.98

-41.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 MX$110

$7.19 CA$10.24

-16.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 MX$27.59

$2.22 CA$3.17

-32.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 MX$60.9

$3.06 CA$4.36

8.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 MX$32.86

$2.94 CA$4.19

-39.12%

Eggs

$2.94 MX$53.9

$3.53 CA$5.03

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 MX$154

$13.19 CA$18.79

-36.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 MX$229

$11.24 CA$16.02

10.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.77 MX$345

$13.81 CA$19.69

35.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 MX$73.2

$3.40 CA$4.85

17.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.67

$1.44 CA$2.06

15.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 MX$52.8

$3.26 CA$4.65

-11.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 MX$52.6

$2.88 CA$4.10

-0.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 MX$47.06

$1.86 CA$2.65

37.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 MX$57.8

$1.82 CA$2.60

73.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.18

$2.43 CA$3.46

-52.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.05

$1.52 CA$2.17

-13.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.32 MX$79.2

$11.45 CA$16.32

-62.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.72 MX$307

$10.36 CA$14.76

61.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 MX$44.97

$2.22 CA$3.16

10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 MX$72.5

$2.82 CA$4.02

40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$2.58 CA$3.67

-77.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.61 MX$121

$76.9 CA$110

-91.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 MX$81.1

$3.25 CA$4.64

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.51 MX$82.7

$1.48 CA$2.11

204.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.13 MX$204

$33.04 CA$47.09

-66.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MX$27.31

$1.36 CA$1.94

9.56%

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

$21.3K MX$390.3K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-22.48%

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

$24.6K MX$451.4K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

23.07%

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

$41.27 MX$758

$76.1 CA$109

-45.78%

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

$16.18 MX$297

$34.68 CA$49.43

-53.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.42 MX$761

$42.69 CA$60.9

-2.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.16 MX$682

$28.94 CA$41.26

28.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.82 MX$786

$20.33 CA$28.97

110.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.55 MX$120

$11.21 CA$15.98

-41.57%

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

$361 MX$6,631

$505 CA$720

-28.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,936 MX$90.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-69.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MX$1,201

$58.5 CA$83.4

11.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 MX$1,136

$38.00 CA$54.2

62.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 MX$2,106

$92.7 CA$132

23.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 MX$2,755

$106 CA$151

41.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 MX$20.1K

$1,240 CA$1,768

-11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 MX$12.2K

$986 CA$1,405

-32.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 MX$43.9K

$2,102 CA$2,996

13.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 MX$25.2K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-14.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,740 MX$50.3K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-45.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,636 MX$30.0K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-57.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$627 MX$11.5K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-78.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.05

4.46

170.18%

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

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel de Allende

$663 40.9%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 48.7% $323

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel de Allende

$355 21.9%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 3.1% $11

Eating Out

San Miguel de Allende

$243 15%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 20.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel de Allende

$176 10.9%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 24.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel de Allende

$99 6.1%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 55.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.1%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 2.2% $1.1

Getting Around

San Miguel de Allende

$36 2.2%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 173% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in San Miguel de Allende 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 366% 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 $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende versus $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $355 in San Miguel de Allende vs $344 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

01:59 1:59 AM

2 h ahead of San Miguel de Allende

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,452

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 = 20.59 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

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Between locations

San Miguel de Allende Montreal 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

San Miguel de Allende
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

San Miguel de Allende vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 22% more than San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,462 per month in San Miguel de Allende 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 San Miguel de Allende, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in San Miguel de Allende and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Miguel de Allende, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Montreal at $2,003. In San Miguel de Allende it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Miguel de Allende costs $1,641 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 San Miguel de Allende. 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.