Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $1,808 in Thompson, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,808

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,808 in Thompson versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Thompson $1,808
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,730 in Thompson versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Thompson $2,730
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,652 in Thompson versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Thompson $3,652
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Thompson is roughly 12% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Thompson 35% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.76

$13.75 MX$252

26.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 CA$90.2

$50.2 MX$921

26.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$11.13 MX$204

-4.49%

Cappuccino

$3.62 CA$5.16

$4.04 MX$74.2

-10.40%

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

$1.96 CA$2.79

$1.70 MX$31.29

15.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.30

$0.99 MX$18.17

63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 CA$7.59

$2.41 MX$44.21

121.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.99

$4.48 MX$82.3

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CA$3.03

$1.92 MX$35.31

10.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 CA$3.56

$2.89 MX$53.1

-13.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.57

$1.94 MX$35.67

64.95%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.75

$2.50 MX$45.90

33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 CA$14.38

$12.30 MX$226

-17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.33

$9.33 MX$171

22.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 CA$20.96

$13.07 MX$240

12.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.20

$3.38 MX$62.1

7.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.58 MX$29.02

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.38

$2.20 MX$40.45

71.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.93

$2.45 MX$44.89

69.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.43

$2.26 MX$41.47

6.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.14

$2.74 MX$50.4

-19.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$1.53 MX$28.09

58.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.26 MX$23.16

26.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.57

$4.84 MX$88.9

183.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 CA$18.06

$13.59 MX$249

-6.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CA$3.83

$1.91 MX$35.01

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CA$4.33

$3.06 MX$56.3

-0.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 CA$3.14

$0.80 MX$14.60

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.2 CA$95.7

$31.77 MX$583

111.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 CA$4.08

$1.62 MX$29.78

76.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.97

$1.10 MX$20.17

25.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.69 CA$32.34

$10.97 MX$201

106.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.60

$1.52 MX$27.93

-26.32%

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

$27.8K CA$39.7K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

30.23%

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

$20.4K CA$29.1K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-19.77%

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

$137 CA$195

$120 MX$2,198

14.48%

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

$37.96 CA$54.1

$27.08 MX$497

40.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 CA$75.5

$26.70 MX$490

98.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.03 CA$58.5

$31.15 MX$572

31.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 CA$22.33

$21.95 MX$403

-28.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 CA$15.62

$5.14 MX$94.4

113.23%

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

$641 CA$913

$688 MX$12.6K

-6.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.8K CA$19.6K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

20.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 CA$76.2

$71.9 MX$1,321

-25.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.21 CA$54.5

$43.30 MX$795

-11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 CA$120

$112 MX$2,059

-25.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CA$146

$122 MX$2,236

-16.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 CA$958

$957 MX$17.6K

-29.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$960

$670 MX$12.3K

0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 CA$1,554

$1,887 MX$34.7K

-42.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 CA$1,590

$1,305 MX$24.0K

-14.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,094 CA$5,835

$4,159 MX$76.4K

-1.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,002 CA$5,705

$2,437 MX$44.7K

64.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,531 CA$2,183

$1,133 MX$20.8K

35.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.64

11.79

-60.64%

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

Last update for Thompson: October 5, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thompson

$674 37.6%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 0.5% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$350 19.6%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 10.8% $38

Eating Out

Thompson

$266 14.9%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 16% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$228 12.7%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 23.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$125 7%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 25.6% $32

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 50.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$63 3.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 34.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $672 in Thompson and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Thompson pays 35% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Thompson vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

1 h behind Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thompson Monterrey 3,350 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

Thompson vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thompson and Monterrey differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,808 vs $1,607 including rent). Monterrey is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Thompson, 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: $672 in Thompson versus $957 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 $50.0 versus $63.0 in Thompson. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,808 per month in Thompson versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $1,808 in Thompson, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Thompson. The gap between the two cities makes Monterrey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 12% less than in Thompson. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.