Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surrey, Canada and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $2,338 in Surrey, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Surrey, Canada
Mexico City, Mexico
Surrey
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,338
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,338 in Surrey versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

  • Surrey $2,338
  • Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,564 in Surrey versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

  • Surrey $3,564
  • Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,791 in Surrey versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

  • Surrey $4,791
  • Mexico City $3,490

Living in Surrey is roughly 45% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Surrey 72% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.11 CA$25.31
$10.62 MX$199
70.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.5 CA$80.3
$48.35 MX$908
18.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.06 CA$14.06
$10.35 MX$194
-2.80%
Cappuccino
$3.52 CA$4.92
$3.69 MX$69.3
-4.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 CA$2.81
$1.67 MX$31.29
20.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 CA$2.10
$1.27 MX$23.76
18.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.01 CA$8.40
$3.19 MX$59.9
88.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.63 CA$7.87
$5.31 MX$99.6
6.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.47 CA$3.46
$1.72 MX$32.38
43.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 CA$2.94
$3.04 MX$57.1
-30.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.64 CA$5.09
$1.94 MX$36.44
87.63%
Eggs
$3.22 CA$4.50
$2.89 MX$54.2
11.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.77 CA$13.65
$10.97 MX$206
-10.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.57 CA$14.78
$9.25 MX$174
14.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.34 CA$28.42
$15.13 MX$284
34.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.33 CA$4.65
$3.05 MX$57.2
9.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.30 CA$1.82
$1.94 MX$36.45
-32.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 CA$4.10
$2.03 MX$38.02
44.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.02 CA$4.23
$2.31 MX$43.46
30.74%
Potato (1kg)
$2.59 CA$3.62
$2.04 MX$38.21
26.96%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 CA$3.01
$1.80 MX$33.79
19.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.00 CA$2.80
$1.48 MX$27.77
35.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 CA$2.56
$1.27 MX$23.80
44.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.11 CA$19.72
$5.30 MX$99.6
166.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.20 CA$19.85
$16.10 MX$302
-11.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.45 CA$3.43
$1.98 MX$37.23
23.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 CA$4.51
$4.25 MX$79.8
-24.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.55 CA$3.57
$0.31 MX$5.73
722.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$110 CA$154
$19.73 MX$371
459.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.64 CA$3.69
$1.84 MX$34.50
43.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 CA$2.23
$0.53 MX$10.02
201.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.02 CA$39.15
$5.30 MX$99.4
428.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 CA$1.92
$1.51 MX$28.36
-8.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.3K
$21.8K MX$408.4K
29.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K CA$30.3K
$24.0K MX$450.3K
-9.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$187 CA$261
$63.0 MX$1,182
196.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.14 CA$51.9
$27.39 MX$514
35.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.7 CA$91.9
$35.67 MX$670
84.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.83 CA$44.48
$58.9 MX$1,107
-46.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.35 CA$35.42
$23.64 MX$444
7.23%
Cinema Ticket
$12.18 CA$17.02
$6.40 MX$120
90.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$668 CA$934
$432 MX$8,103
54.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.1K CA$16.9K
$11.4K MX$214.5K
5.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.0 CA$76.8
$68.2 MX$1,281
-19.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$61.1 CA$85.4
$53.1 MX$997
15.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.5 CA$139
$108 MX$2,023
-7.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.8 CA$127
$117 MX$2,202
-22.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,376 CA$1,923
$1,113 MX$20.9K
23.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,094 CA$1,528
$710 MX$13.3K
53.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,606 CA$3,641
$2,588 MX$48.6K
0.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 CA$2,927
$1,406 MX$26.4K
49.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,631 CA$9,265
$3,631 MX$68.2K
82.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,166 CA$7,218
$2,135 MX$40.1K
141.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Surrey
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,156 CA$4,410
$946 MX$17.8K
233.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.87
11.35
-57.09%

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

Last update for Surrey: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Surrey
$1.1K
Mexico City
$710 35% $383
Groceries & Markets
Surrey
$357
Mexico City
$320 10.5% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Surrey
$289
Mexico City
$126 56.4% $163
Eating Out
Surrey
$273
Mexico City
$199 27.2% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Surrey
$138
Mexico City
$156 13.1% $18
Getting Around
Surrey
$131
Mexico City
$25 80.6% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Surrey
$56
Mexico City
$72 27.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,376 in Surrey and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surrey pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Surrey vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Surrey
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
09:06 9:06 AM
10:06 10:06 AM
1 h ahead of Surrey
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
517,887
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Surrey Mexico City 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Surrey
  • Mexico City

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
Surrey vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Surrey and in Mexico City?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,338 in Surrey and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Surrey or Mexico City?
Average pay in Surrey is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Surrey and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,376 in Surrey versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Surrey and in Mexico City?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 82% less than in Surrey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Surrey and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $668 in Surrey versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How far does $3,000 go in Surrey compared to Mexico City?
Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Surrey and Mexico City?
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.
Where should expats move: Surrey or Mexico City?
Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Surrey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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