Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough, Canada and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,553 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Scarborough

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,553 in Scarborough versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

Scarborough $2,553
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,473 in Scarborough versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

Scarborough $3,473
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,393 in Scarborough versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

Scarborough $4,393
Monterrey $3,504

Living in Scarborough is roughly 56% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Scarborough 89% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.90 CA$23.69

$13.37 MX$251

26.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 CA$100

$47.95 MX$900

48.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 CA$15.09

$10.79 MX$203

-0.28%

Cappuccino

$4.26 CA$5.97

$3.77 MX$70.7

13.00%

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

$2.04 CA$2.87

$1.51 MX$28.37

35.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$1.03 MX$19.33

44.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 CA$9.25

$2.48 MX$46.60

166.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 CA$10.15

$4.36 MX$81.8

66.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.49 CA$3.49

$1.89 MX$35.58

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 CA$3.68

$2.85 MX$53.5

-8.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.30

$1.86 MX$34.86

26.34%

Eggs

$3.60 CA$5.04

$2.47 MX$46.31

45.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 CA$12.84

$11.81 MX$222

-22.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.96 CA$15.36

$8.97 MX$168

22.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$17.92

$12.57 MX$236

1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.86

$3.20 MX$60.0

8.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 CA$1.72

$1.50 MX$28.23

-18.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.72

$2.12 MX$39.90

58.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 CA$5.93

$2.33 MX$43.82

81.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 CA$2.26

$2.22 MX$41.75

-27.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 CA$2.39

$2.58 MX$48.54

-34.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 CA$3.16

$1.45 MX$27.15

55.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 CA$1.72

$1.22 MX$22.94

0.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 CA$19.86

$4.80 MX$90.1

195.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 CA$18.10

$13.30 MX$250

-2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.12

$1.93 MX$36.28

15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$2.86 MX$53.6

-13.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.23

$0.80 MX$15.00

187.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CA$147

$30.94 MX$581

239.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 CA$4.35

$1.83 MX$34.42

69.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.77

$1.06 MX$19.86

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.21 CA$31.13

$10.82 MX$203

105.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CA$1.78

$1.47 MX$27.65

-13.61%

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

$26.0K CA$36.5K

$24.1K MX$452.3K

8.08%

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

$22.0K CA$30.8K

$23.5K MX$442.0K

-6.51%

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

$139 CA$196

$115 MX$2,152

21.69%

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

$34.16 CA$47.88

$26.37 MX$495

29.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.83 CA$69.9

$25.70 MX$483

93.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.22 CA$49.37

$30.53 MX$573

15.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.26 CA$49.43

$21.27 MX$400

65.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.03 CA$18.26

$4.96 MX$93.1

162.70%

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

$756 CA$1,059

$679 MX$12.7K

11.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K CA$26.7K

$14.2K MX$266.4K

34.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 CA$72.0

$72.2 MX$1,356

-28.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 CA$58.3

$41.94 MX$788

-0.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 CA$120

$107 MX$2,019

-20.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$145

$119 MX$2,228

-12.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,728 CA$2,422

$1,018 MX$19.1K

69.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 CA$1,975

$722 MX$13.6K

95.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,177 CA$3,052

$1,966 MX$36.9K

10.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,769 CA$2,479

$1,416 MX$26.6K

24.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,756 CA$10.9K

$4,203 MX$78.9K

84.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,109 CA$8,563

$2,782 MX$52.2K

119.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,014 CA$4,225

$1,096 MX$20.6K

175.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

11.79

-61.41%

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

Last update for Scarborough: November 2, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Scarborough

$1.4K 55.2%

Monterrey

$722 44% 48.8% $687

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$329 12.9%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 8.1% $27

Eating Out

Scarborough

$280 11%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 23% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$223 8.8%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 25.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$127 5%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 20.6% $26

Getting Around

Scarborough

$124 4.9%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 66.7% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$61 2.4%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 34% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,728 in Scarborough and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Scarborough pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $71 in Scarborough vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $329 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Scarborough

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:12 2:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

1 h behind Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,960

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.08 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Scarborough Monterrey 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

Scarborough vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,553 in Scarborough and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Scarborough is about 2.8 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: $1,728 in Scarborough 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 $71 in Scarborough. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,553 per month in Scarborough versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 36% 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 36% less than in Scarborough. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.