Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapachula and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Tapachula: $1,164 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Tapachula
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Tapachula Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Tapachula

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,164

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,164 per month in Tapachula vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Tapachula $1,164
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $1,828 per month in Tapachula vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Tapachula $1,828
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $2,493 per month in Tapachula vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Tapachula $2,493
Montreal $4,187

Tapachula is about 43% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tapachula sits 14% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.44 MX$193

$18.84 CA$26.63

-44.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.58 MX$750

$73.2 CA$104

-44.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 MX$146

$10.54 CA$14.90

-25.05%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$68.6

$3.97 CA$5.61

-6.55%

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

$1.27 MX$23.45

$1.94 CA$2.74

-34.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 MX$21.35

$1.57 CA$2.22

-26.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MX$44.58

$6.42 CA$9.08

-62.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 MX$69.3

$7.20 CA$10.19

-47.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MX$28.77

$2.32 CA$3.28

-32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 MX$49.05

$3.19 CA$4.51

-16.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.96

$3.19 CA$4.50

-49.22%

Eggs

$2.43 MX$44.94

$3.68 CA$5.20

-33.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 MX$149

$13.24 CA$18.72

-38.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 MX$154

$11.69 CA$16.53

-28.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.49 MX$212

$13.98 CA$19.76

-17.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 MX$42.72

$3.14 CA$4.44

-26.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 MX$29.23

$1.45 CA$2.05

8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.50

$3.38 CA$4.78

-38.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 MX$33.81

$3.11 CA$4.40

-41.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 MX$34.94

$1.93 CA$2.72

-2.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 MX$33.37

$1.83 CA$2.58

-1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 MX$29.91

$2.36 CA$3.34

-31.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.12

$1.50 CA$2.12

-27.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.0

$11.12 CA$15.73

-61.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 MX$170

$10.60 CA$14.98

-13.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 MX$31.66

$2.22 CA$3.14

-22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$2.84 CA$4.01

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 MX$11.19

$2.62 CA$3.71

-76.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.11

$3.23 CA$4.56

-17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 MX$31.45

$1.48 CA$2.10

14.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.99 MX$185

$32.22 CA$45.55

-68.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.73

$1.36 CA$1.92

-1.47%

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

$25.3K MX$467.0K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-8.58%

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

$23.0K MX$424.7K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

8.45%

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

$54.4 MX$1,006

$77.0 CA$109

-29.34%

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

$23.70 MX$438

$34.14 CA$48.26

-30.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 MX$498

$42.19 CA$59.7

-36.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 MX$687

$30.81 CA$43.56

20.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.73 MX$346

$19.66 CA$27.79

-4.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 MX$92.6

$11.47 CA$16.22

-56.32%

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

$245 MX$4,528

$506 CA$716

-51.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,825 MX$89.2K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-70.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 MX$1,060

$57.3 CA$81.0

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.06 MX$759

$38.10 CA$53.9

7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,820

$91.9 CA$130

7.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 MX$1,696

$110 CA$155

-16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 MX$12.4K

$1,237 CA$1,748

-45.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 MX$7,904

$977 CA$1,381

-56.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 MX$20.0K

$2,180 CA$3,082

-50.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 MX$14.2K

$1,608 CA$2,273

-52.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,952 MX$36.1K

$5,113 CA$7,228

-61.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,087 MX$20.1K

$3,744 CA$5,293

-70.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.48

152.23%

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

Last update for Tapachula: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tapachula

$428 36.8%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 128% $549

Groceries & Markets

Tapachula

$259 22.3%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 35.5% $92

Eating Out

Tapachula

$181 15.6%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 60.4% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Tapachula

$130 11.2%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 2.9% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapachula

$105 9%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 46% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Tapachula

$47 4.1%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 13.9% $6.6

Getting Around

Tapachula

$14 * 1.2%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 638% $87

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Tapachula versus $1,237 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Tapachula versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $351 – making Tapachula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tapachula

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

10:43 10:43 AM

2 h ahead of Tapachula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,550

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tapachula Montreal 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tapachula
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

Tapachula vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 77% more than Tapachula, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,745 per month in Tapachula and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tapachula, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Tapachula and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tapachula, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Tapachula it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tapachula costs $1,164 versus $2,059 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 Tapachula. 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.