Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Monterrey: $1,607 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $1,607 in Monterrey.

Toronto $2,530
Monterrey $1,607

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $2,512 in Monterrey.

Toronto $3,646
Monterrey $2,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $3,417 in Monterrey.

Toronto $4,761
Monterrey $3,417

Living in Toronto is roughly 57% more expensive than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Toronto 89% above, Monterrey 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.19

$13.75 MX$252

28.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$50.2 MX$921

54.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.93

$11.13 MX$204

-5.93%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.81

$4.04 MX$74.2

0.99%

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

$2.12 CA$3.02

$1.70 MX$31.29

24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.51

$0.99 MX$18.17

77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.80

$2.41 MX$44.21

156.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.82

$4.48 MX$82.3

53.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.92 MX$35.31

26.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.92

$2.89 MX$53.1

-4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.18

$1.94 MX$35.67

14.95%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.91

$2.50 MX$45.90

38.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.73

$12.30 MX$226

-27.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.31

$9.33 MX$171

22.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.83

$13.07 MX$240

11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.34

$3.38 MX$62.1

10.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.64

$1.58 MX$29.02

-27.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.06

$2.20 MX$40.45

61.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.10

$2.45 MX$44.89

74.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.63

$2.26 MX$41.47

-18.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$2.74 MX$50.4

-39.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.53 MX$28.09

45.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.26 MX$23.16

-3.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.78

$4.84 MX$88.9

186.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.31

$13.59 MX$249

4.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.13

$1.91 MX$35.01

15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$3.06 MX$56.3

-20.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$0.80 MX$14.60

202.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

$31.77 MX$583

248.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.13

$1.62 MX$29.78

79.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.10 MX$20.17

14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.40

$10.97 MX$201

100.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.52 MX$27.93

-19.74%

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

$27.6K CA$39.4K

$21.4K MX$392.4K

29.29%

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

$19.8K CA$28.3K

$25.5K MX$467.6K

-22.17%

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

$122 CA$174

$120 MX$2,198

1.80%

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

$32.03 CA$45.66

$27.08 MX$497

18.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.3

$26.70 MX$490

79.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.5

$31.15 MX$572

24.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.12

$21.95 MX$403

5.88%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.97

$5.14 MX$94.4

145.33%

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

$834 CA$1,189

$688 MX$12.6K

21.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.3K

$11.4K MX$209.8K

104.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$75.0

$71.9 MX$1,321

-26.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.4

$43.30 MX$795

-7.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$112 MX$2,059

-14.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$122 MX$2,236

0.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,278

$957 MX$17.6K

66.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,045

$670 MX$12.3K

114.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,787

$1,887 MX$34.7K

40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,988

$1,305 MX$24.0K

60.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.5K

$4,159 MX$76.4K

93.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,347

$2,437 MX$44.7K

169.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,335

$1,133 MX$20.8K

230.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

11.79

-62.09%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Monterrey

$670 41.4% 53.3% $765

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Monterrey

$312 19.3% 8.1% $28

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Monterrey

$224 13.8% 20.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Monterrey

$174 10.7% 14% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Monterrey

$157 9.7% 11.9% $17

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Monterrey

$42 2.6% 67.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Monterrey

$41 2.6% 35.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,598 in Toronto and $957 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 230% 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: $77.0 in Toronto vs $50.0 in Monterrey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $312 per month, with Monterrey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

22:00 10:00 PM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

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

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Between locations

Toronto Monterrey 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
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

Toronto vs Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto and Monterrey differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($2,530 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 230% higher in Toronto, 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: $1,598 in Toronto 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 $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,530 per month in Toronto versus $1,607 in Monterrey – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,607 in Monterrey versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Monterrey but tight or insufficient in Toronto. 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 57% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.