Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Tulum

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $2,530 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,530

/mo nomad

Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Tulum

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 Tulum actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Toronto versus $1,252 in Tulum.

Toronto $2,530
Tulum $1,252

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,646 in Toronto versus $2,131 in Tulum.

Toronto $3,646
Tulum $2,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,761 in Toronto versus $3,010 in Tulum.

Toronto $4,761
Tulum $3,010

Living in Toronto is roughly 102% more expensive than in Tulum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 89% above, Tulum is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 CA$25.13

$8.26 MX$150

113.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 CA$110

$56.4 MX$1,026

37.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.90

$8.13 MX$148

28.78%

Cappuccino

$4.08 CA$5.80

$3.87 MX$70.4

5.43%

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

$2.12 CA$3.01

$1.14 MX$20.80

85.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 CA$2.50

$1.18 MX$21.42

49.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.17 CA$8.78

$2.94 MX$53.5

109.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 CA$9.80

$3.80 MX$69.1

81.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.58 MX$28.75

53.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CA$3.91

$2.00 MX$36.31

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 CA$3.17

$1.74 MX$31.71

28.16%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.90

$1.89 MX$34.29

82.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 CA$12.71

$5.55 MX$101

60.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$7.93 MX$144

44.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 CA$20.78

$9.09 MX$165

60.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.33

$2.66 MX$48.31

40.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.42 MX$25.75

-19.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 CA$5.05

$1.52 MX$27.67

133.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 CA$6.09

$1.50 MX$27.34

185.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 CA$2.62

$2.28 MX$41.45

-18.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 CA$2.37

$1.86 MX$33.77

-10.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.51 MX$27.40

47.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$0.83 MX$15.11

45.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 CA$19.74

$4.39 MX$79.9

216.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.25 CA$20.27

$8.35 MX$152

70.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.12

$1.39 MX$25.31

58.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$1.32 MX$24.00

83.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 CA$3.44

$1.40 MX$25.48

72.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$158

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 CA$4.12

$2.81 MX$51.2

3.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 CA$1.79

$2.44 MX$44.47

-48.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.03 CA$31.33

$5.58 MX$102

294.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.74

$1.52 MX$27.71

-19.74%

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

$27.6K CA$39.3K

$21.4K MX$389.2K

29.12%

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

$19.8K CA$28.2K

$23.8K MX$433.0K

-16.73%

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

$122 CA$173

$106 MX$1,927

15.04%

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

$32.03 CA$45.56

$16.87 MX$307

89.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.92 CA$68.2

$34.97 MX$636

37.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.90 CA$55.3

$34.35 MX$625

13.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 CA$33.05

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.94

$6.45 MX$117

95.50%

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

$834 CA$1,186

$263 MX$4,776

217.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K CA$33.2K

$3,022 MX$55.0K

672.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.8

$42.26 MX$769

24.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.26 CA$57.3

$33.26 MX$605

21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 CA$137

$97.4 MX$1,772

-1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 CA$175

$60.2 MX$1,095

104.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 CA$2,273

$614 MX$11.2K

160.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 CA$2,041

$539 MX$9,808

166.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,657 CA$3,779

$1,504 MX$27.4K

76.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 CA$2,981

$1,316 MX$23.9K

59.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,033 CA$11.4K

$3,162 MX$57.5K

154.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,557 CA$9,327

$1,818 MX$33.1K

260.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,743 CA$5,324

$784 MX$14.3K

377.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

10.8

-58.61%

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

Last update for Toronto: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.4%

Tulum

$539 42.8% 62.4% $896

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.1%

Tulum

$222 17.6% 34.7% $118

Eating Out

Toronto

$282 10.9%

Tulum

$169 13.4% 40.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$202 7.8%

Tulum

$158 12.5% 21.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$140 5.4%

Tulum

$105 8.3% 25.3% $35

Getting Around

Toronto

$130 5%

Tulum

$21 * 1.6% 84.1% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$64 2.5%

Tulum

$47 3.8% 26.3% $17

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 $1,598 in Toronto and $614 in Tulum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 377% 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 $56.0 in Tulum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $222 per month, with Tulum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇲🇽 Tulum

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

1 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

46,721

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 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 = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.4 MXN (100 MXN = 4.9 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Toronto Tulum 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Tulum

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 Tulum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulum is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 102% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 377% 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 $614 in Tulum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $834 in Toronto versus $263 in Tulum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tulum – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $77.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,252 in Tulum versus $2,530 in Toronto, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tulum but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Tulum 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 Tulum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.