Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Lazaro Cardenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas: $1,141 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto, Canada
Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,610
/mo nomad
Lazaro Cardenas
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,141
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Lazaro Cardenas

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Toronto and in Lazaro Cardenas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $1,141 in Lazaro Cardenas.

  • Toronto $2,610
  • Lazaro Cardenas $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $1,839 in Lazaro Cardenas.

  • Toronto $3,727
  • Lazaro Cardenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $2,537 in Lazaro Cardenas.

  • Toronto $4,844
  • Lazaro Cardenas $2,537

Living in Toronto is roughly 129% more expensive than in Lazaro Cardenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 93% above, Lazaro Cardenas is 16% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 CA$24.65
$10.83 MX$203
62.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.8 CA$110
$43.66 MX$817
80.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 CA$15.03
$8.70 MX$163
23.33%
Cappuccino
$4.09 CA$5.73
$3.61 MX$67.6
13.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 CA$2.95
$1.42 MX$26.59
47.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 CA$2.41
$1.03 MX$19.24
66.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.36 CA$8.91
$2.51 MX$46.92
153.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.08 CA$9.92
$3.99 MX$74.7
77.44%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.54 CA$3.56
$1.66 MX$31.06
53.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 CA$3.81
$2.53 MX$47.41
7.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 CA$3.06
$1.67 MX$31.19
30.54%
Eggs
$3.63 CA$5.08
$2.43 MX$45.51
49.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.46 CA$13.25
$8.19 MX$153
15.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.17
$8.49 MX$159
35.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.37 CA$20.14
$11.33 MX$212
26.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.70 CA$5.18
$2.67 MX$49.98
38.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 CA$1.66
$1.59 MX$29.74
-25.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.85
$1.90 MX$35.65
82.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.22 CA$5.92
$1.83 MX$34.27
130.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.50
$1.93 MX$36.05
-7.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.65 CA$2.31
$1.80 MX$33.61
-8.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 CA$3.09
$1.48 MX$27.75
48.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 CA$1.77
$1.08 MX$20.23
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.97 CA$19.58
$4.32 MX$80.8
223.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.20 CA$19.89
$10.32 MX$193
37.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.25 CA$3.15
$1.76 MX$32.88
27.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 CA$3.55
$3.20 MX$59.8
-20.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 CA$3.25
$0.69 MX$12.92
236.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$112 CA$156
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.06 CA$4.29
$2.53 MX$47.26
20.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.22 CA$1.71
$1.92 MX$35.92
-36.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.69 CA$30.39
$11.01 MX$206
97.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.70
$1.48 MX$27.62
-18.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K CA$36.6K
$21.1K MX$395.7K
23.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.6K
$23.8K MX$445.7K
-11.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$168
$58.7 MX$1,099
103.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.21 CA$45.14
$22.31 MX$417
44.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.88 CA$68.5
$29.94 MX$560
63.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.34 CA$55.1
$34.30 MX$642
14.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.58 CA$33.05
$20.49 MX$384
15.08%
Cinema Ticket
$12.58 CA$17.63
$5.11 MX$95.7
146.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$832 CA$1,166
$221 MX$4,141
276.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.6K CA$33.1K
$4,553 MX$85.2K
418.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.3 CA$73.3
$55.3 MX$1,035
-5.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.44 CA$55.3
$39.96 MX$748
-1.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.0 CA$139
$99.7 MX$1,867
-0.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 CA$171
$90.1 MX$1,687
35.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 CA$2,286
$602 MX$11.3K
171.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,448 CA$2,030
$393 MX$7,352
268.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,737 CA$3,835
$1,055 MX$19.8K
159.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,129 CA$2,984
$780 MX$14.6K
172.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,206 CA$11.5K
$1,921 MX$36.0K
327.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,838 CA$9,581
$1,169 MX$21.9K
484.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Lazaro Cardenas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,520 CA$4,932
$552 MX$10.3K
537.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.47
11.3
-60.44%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lazaro Cardenas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Lazaro Cardenas
$393 72.9% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$343
Lazaro Cardenas
$263 23.3% $80
Eating Out
Toronto
$283
Lazaro Cardenas
$186 34.2% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Lazaro Cardenas
$111 44.7% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$141
Lazaro Cardenas
$128 8.8% $12
Getting Around
Toronto
$130
Lazaro Cardenas
$15 * 88.6% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$65
Lazaro Cardenas
$45 31% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,631 in Toronto and $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays about 6.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Toronto vs $44 in Lazaro Cardenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $263 per month, with Lazaro Cardenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇲🇽 Lazaro Cardenas
🕒 Local time
06:03 6:03 AM
04:03 4:03 AM
2 h behind Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
83,637
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.714 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.636 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toronto Lazaro Cardenas 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Lazaro Cardenas

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
Toronto vs Lazaro Cardenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Toronto or Lazaro Cardenas?
Lazaro Cardenas wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Toronto. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lazaro Cardenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Toronto or in Lazaro Cardenas?
Average pay in Toronto is about 6.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Toronto compared to Lazaro Cardenas?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Toronto versus $602 in Lazaro Cardenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Toronto and in Lazaro Cardenas?
Childcare runs $832 in Toronto versus $221 in Lazaro Cardenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Toronto and in Lazaro Cardenas?
Dining out is cheaper in Lazaro Cardenas – a meal for two runs $44 versus $79 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Toronto or in Lazaro Cardenas?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lazaro Cardenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Toronto or Lazaro Cardenas?
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.
Should I move to Toronto or to Lazaro Cardenas?
It comes down to priorities – Lazaro Cardenas wins on affordability, Toronto on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Toronto vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?