Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toronto and Zihuatanejo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $2,610 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Toronto, Canada
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Toronto
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,610
/mo nomad
Zihuatanejo
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,131
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toronto and in Zihuatanejo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,610 in Toronto versus $1,131 in Zihuatanejo.

  • Toronto $2,610
  • Zihuatanejo $1,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Toronto versus $1,824 in Zihuatanejo.

  • Toronto $3,727
  • Zihuatanejo $1,824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,844 in Toronto versus $2,517 in Zihuatanejo.

  • Toronto $4,844
  • Zihuatanejo $2,517

Living in Toronto is roughly 131% more expensive than in Zihuatanejo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Toronto is 93% above, Zihuatanejo is 17% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59 CA$24.65
$10.86 MX$203
61.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.8 CA$110
$44.16 MX$827
78.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.73 CA$15.03
$8.74 MX$164
22.77%
Cappuccino
$4.09 CA$5.73
$3.48 MX$65.2
17.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 CA$2.95
$1.36 MX$25.45
54.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 CA$2.41
$1.02 MX$19.08
68.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.36 CA$8.91
$2.45 MX$45.89
159.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.08 CA$9.92
$3.98 MX$74.4
77.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.54 CA$3.56
$1.66 MX$31.05
53.01%
White Bread (500g)
$2.72 CA$3.81
$2.55 MX$47.69
6.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 CA$3.06
$1.65 MX$30.90
32.12%
Eggs
$3.63 CA$5.08
$2.44 MX$45.61
48.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.46 CA$13.25
$8.11 MX$152
16.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.54 CA$16.17
$8.52 MX$159
35.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.37 CA$20.14
$11.56 MX$216
24.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.70 CA$5.18
$2.72 MX$51.0
36.03%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 CA$1.66
$1.56 MX$29.27
-23.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.46 CA$4.85
$1.94 MX$36.39
78.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.22 CA$5.92
$1.77 MX$33.10
138.42%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 CA$2.50
$1.94 MX$36.24
-7.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.65 CA$2.31
$1.88 MX$35.15
-12.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 CA$3.09
$1.43 MX$26.71
53.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 CA$1.77
$1.09 MX$20.47
15.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.97 CA$19.58
$4.28 MX$80.1
226.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.20 CA$19.89
$10.27 MX$192
38.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.25 CA$3.15
$1.82 MX$34.04
23.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 CA$3.55
$3.06 MX$57.3
-17.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.32 CA$3.25
$0.68 MX$12.77
241.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$112 CA$156
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.06 CA$4.29
$2.61 MX$48.93
17.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.22 CA$1.71
$2.02 MX$37.88
-39.60%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.69 CA$30.39
$11.18 MX$209
94.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 CA$1.70
$1.44 MX$26.93
-15.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K CA$36.6K
$21.3K MX$398.4K
22.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.6K
$23.9K MX$447.0K
-11.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$168
$57.3 MX$1,072
108.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.21 CA$45.14
$23.00 MX$431
40.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.88 CA$68.5
$29.80 MX$558
64.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.34 CA$55.1
$34.76 MX$651
13.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.58 CA$33.05
$20.02 MX$375
17.78%
Cinema Ticket
$12.58 CA$17.63
$5.14 MX$96.2
144.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$832 CA$1,166
$216 MX$4,041
285.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.6K CA$33.1K
$4,526 MX$84.7K
421.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.3 CA$73.3
$55.5 MX$1,038
-5.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.44 CA$55.3
$40.25 MX$753
-2.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.0 CA$139
$98.5 MX$1,844
0.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 CA$171
$90.0 MX$1,684
35.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 CA$2,286
$596 MX$11.1K
173.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,448 CA$2,030
$384 MX$7,182
277.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,737 CA$3,835
$1,053 MX$19.7K
159.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,129 CA$2,984
$759 MX$14.2K
180.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,206 CA$11.5K
$1,915 MX$35.8K
328.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,838 CA$9,581
$1,149 MX$21.5K
494.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toronto
Zihuatanejo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,520 CA$4,932
-
-
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 Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toronto
$1.4K
Zihuatanejo
$384 73.5% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Toronto
$343
Zihuatanejo
$264 23.1% $79
Eating Out
Toronto
$283
Zihuatanejo
$185 34.8% $99
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toronto
$201
Zihuatanejo
$110 45.2% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Toronto
$141
Zihuatanejo
$128 9.1% $13
Getting Around
Toronto
$130
Zihuatanejo
$15 * 88.1% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Toronto
$65
Zihuatanejo
$45 30.2% $19

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 $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79 in Toronto vs $44 in Zihuatanejo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $264 per month, with Zihuatanejo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Toronto
🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo
🕒 Local time
06:52 6:52 AM
04:52 4:52 AM
2 h behind Toronto
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,731,571
67,408
💱 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 Zihuatanejo 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toronto
  • Zihuatanejo

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 Zihuatanejo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zihuatanejo cheaper than Toronto?
Zihuatanejo is cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. The 131% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $3,916 in Toronto and $1,696 in Zihuatanejo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Toronto and Zihuatanejo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,631 in Toronto versus $596 in Zihuatanejo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $832 in Toronto versus $216 in Zihuatanejo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Toronto or in Zihuatanejo?
Dining out is cheaper in Zihuatanejo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $79 in Toronto. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Toronto or in Zihuatanejo?
At $1,131 in Zihuatanejo versus $2,610 in Toronto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zihuatanejo but tight or insufficient in Toronto. The gap between the two cities makes Zihuatanejo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Toronto or in Zihuatanejo?
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.

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