Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas, Canada and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,641 a month against $2,308 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,308

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,308 in St. Thomas versus $1,641 in Monterrey.

St. Thomas $2,308
Monterrey $1,641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in St. Thomas versus $2,573 in Monterrey.

St. Thomas $3,326
Monterrey $2,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,344 in St. Thomas versus $3,504 in Monterrey.

St. Thomas $4,344
Monterrey $3,504

Living in St. Thomas is roughly 41% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Thomas 71% above, Monterrey 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.55 CA$30.31

$13.37 MX$250

61.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 CA$89.1

$47.95 MX$897

32.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 CA$15.93

$10.79 MX$202

5.00%

Cappuccino

$3.33 CA$4.69

$3.77 MX$70.4

-11.67%

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

$2.20 CA$3.09

$1.51 MX$28.26

45.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.19

$1.03 MX$19.25

51.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.91 CA$6.91

$2.48 MX$46.41

97.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 CA$8.45

$4.36 MX$81.5

37.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$1.89 MX$35.43

17.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 CA$3.82

$2.85 MX$53.3

-4.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.26

$1.86 MX$34.71

101.08%

Eggs

$3.22 CA$4.53

$2.47 MX$46.12

30.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 CA$13.99

$11.81 MX$221

-15.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 CA$22.88

$8.97 MX$168

81.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.23 CA$27.04

$12.57 MX$235

52.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 CA$5.75

$3.20 MX$59.8

27.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.84

$1.50 MX$28.12

-12.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.19

$2.12 MX$39.74

74.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 CA$5.64

$2.33 MX$43.64

72.10%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 CA$4.67

$2.22 MX$41.58

49.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.38

$2.58 MX$48.34

20.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 CA$4.02

$1.45 MX$27.04

97.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 CA$2.12

$1.22 MX$22.85

23.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.13 CA$15.65

$4.80 MX$89.7

131.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.88 CA$18.11

$13.30 MX$249

-3.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.46

$1.93 MX$36.14

27.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.07

$2.86 MX$53.4

1.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.29

$0.80 MX$14.94

192.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 CA$88.9

$30.94 MX$579

104.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.41

$1.83 MX$34.28

32.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$1.06 MX$19.78

55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.53 CA$31.69

$10.82 MX$202

108.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$1.47 MX$27.54

-19.73%

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

$26.9K CA$37.9K

$24.1K MX$450.4K

11.79%

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

$23.1K CA$32.5K

$23.5K MX$440.2K

-1.71%

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

$125 CA$175

$115 MX$2,144

8.71%

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

$43.40 CA$61.0

$26.37 MX$493

64.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 CA$79.5

$25.70 MX$481

120.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.39 CA$52.6

$30.53 MX$571

22.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.91 CA$25.19

$21.27 MX$398

-15.80%

Cinema Ticket

$10.51 CA$14.77

$4.96 MX$92.8

111.90%

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

$411 CA$578

$679 MX$12.7K

-39.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K CA$24.3K

$14.2K MX$265.3K

22.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 CA$74.4

$72.2 MX$1,350

-26.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.92 CA$51.9

$41.94 MX$784

-11.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.5 CA$116

$107 MX$2,011

-23.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 CA$127

$119 MX$2,219

-23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,180 CA$1,660

$1,018 MX$19.0K

15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 CA$1,585

$722 MX$13.5K

56.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,864

$1,966 MX$36.8K

3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 CA$2,333

$1,416 MX$26.5K

17.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,398 CA$6,185

$4,203 MX$78.6K

4.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,626 CA$5,099

$2,782 MX$52.0K

30.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,021 CA$4,248

$1,096 MX$20.5K

175.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

11.79

-57.68%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: 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

St. Thomas

$1.1K 48.8%

Monterrey

$722 44% 36% $405

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$399 17.3%

Monterrey

$302 18.4% 24.2% $97

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$298 12.9%

Monterrey

$216 13.2% 27.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$225 9.7%

Monterrey

$167 10.2% 25.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$118 5.1%

Monterrey

$153 9.3% 29.4% $35

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$83 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 50.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$58 2.5%

Monterrey

$40 2.5% 30.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,180 in St. Thomas and $1,018 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $63 in St. Thomas vs $48 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $399 vs $302 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

1 h behind St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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St. Thomas Monterrey 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Thomas
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

St. Thomas vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,308 in St. Thomas and $1,641 in Monterrey, so Monterrey is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in St. Thomas 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: $1,180 in St. Thomas 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 $63 in St. Thomas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,308 per month in St. Thomas versus $1,641 in Monterrey – Monterrey is about 29% 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 29% less than in St. Thomas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.