Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Zacatecas

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $2,561 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index

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Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,561

/mo nomad

Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Zacatecas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,561 in Toronto versus $738 in Zacatecas.

Toronto $2,561
Zacatecas $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,694 in Toronto versus $1,170 in Zacatecas.

Toronto $3,694
Zacatecas $1,170

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,826 in Toronto versus $1,602 in Zacatecas.

Toronto $4,826
Zacatecas $1,602

Living in Toronto is roughly 247% more expensive than in Zacatecas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 90% above, Zacatecas is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.18 CA$24.29

$6.12 MX$113

180.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.0 CA$107

$31.70 MX$586

139.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.89

$7.50 MX$139

40.53%

Cappuccino

$4.02 CA$5.68

$2.96 MX$54.7

35.81%

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

$2.12 CA$3.00

$1.21 MX$22.31

75.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$0.72 MX$13.31

143.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 CA$8.83

$1.86 MX$34.45

235.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 CA$10.02

$4.08 MX$75.4

73.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$1.37 MX$25.41

78.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.78

$2.21 MX$40.91

21.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$1.54 MX$28.52

45.45%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$2.29 MX$42.31

55.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 CA$12.85

$7.32 MX$135

24.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.01

$6.12 MX$113

85.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 CA$20.55

$9.25 MX$171

57.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$1.75 MX$32.31

106.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 CA$1.72

$1.66 MX$30.63

-27.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$2.02 MX$37.30

78.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 CA$5.96

$1.46 MX$27.05

188.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$2.00 MX$36.98

-10.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.76 MX$32.50

-9.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.52 MX$28.04

49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CA$1.77

$0.84 MX$15.60

48.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 CA$19.53

$4.29 MX$79.4

222.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.27 CA$20.18

$10.67 MX$197

33.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.10

$1.67 MX$30.90

31.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$3.38 MX$62.5

-28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.53 MX$9.88

350.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 CA$157

$16.52 MX$305

571.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 CA$4.12

$2.21 MX$40.77

31.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 CA$1.69

$1.08 MX$19.91

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.38 CA$30.23

$12.28 MX$227

74.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.45 MX$26.79

-16.55%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.1K MX$390.6K

33.30%

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

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$24.5K MX$452.6K

-17.30%

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

$120 CA$170

$23.16 MX$428

419.65%

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

$32.26 CA$45.60

$8.38 MX$155

284.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$25.17 MX$465

90.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 CA$54.4

$25.02 MX$462

53.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.96 CA$32.46

$8.17 MX$151

181.03%

Cinema Ticket

$12.38 CA$17.50

$4.39 MX$81.1

182.00%

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

$830 CA$1,173

$256 MX$4,736

223.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K CA$32.6K

$3,234 MX$59.8K

613.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 CA$71.7

$45.26 MX$836

12.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$40.19 MX$743

-0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 CA$139

$91.6 MX$1,692

7.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 CA$171

$43.08 MX$796

180.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,592 CA$2,251

$242 MX$4,467

558.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 CA$1,994

$162 MX$2,994

770.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,670 CA$3,775

$383 MX$7,074

597.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 CA$3,042

$249 MX$4,606

763.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,945 CA$11.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,542 CA$9,249

$571 MX$10.5K

1045.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,727 CA$5,269

$407 MX$7,527

814.92%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Toronto

$1.4K 55.1%

Zacatecas

$162 22% 88.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Toronto

$340 13.3%

Zacatecas

$228 30.9% 32.9% $112

Eating Out

Toronto

$278 10.9%

Zacatecas

$132 17.9% 52.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toronto

$201 7.8%

Zacatecas

$57 7.7% 71.7% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Toronto

$139 5.4%

Zacatecas

$99 13.4% 28.9% $40

Getting Around

Toronto

$129 5.1%

Zacatecas

$26 3.6% 79.7% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Toronto

$63 2.5%

Zacatecas

$34 4.6% 46.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,592 in Toronto and $242 in Zacatecas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Toronto pays 815% 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: $76.0 in Toronto vs $32.00 in Zacatecas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $340 vs $228 per month, with Zacatecas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Toronto

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

02:18 2:18 AM

2 h behind Toronto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,731,571

138,444

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Toronto Zacatecas 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Toronto
Zacatecas

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 Zacatecas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zacatecas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 247% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 815% 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: $1,592 in Toronto versus $242 in Zacatecas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Toronto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Zacatecas – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $76.0 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $738 in Zacatecas versus $2,561 in Toronto, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zacatecas but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Zacatecas 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.

Safety-wise, Toronto and Zacatecas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zacatecas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 247% less than in Toronto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.