Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulum and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Tulum: $1,252 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tulum
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Tulum Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Tulum

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,252

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tulum and in Montreal

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

A single person spends $1,252 per month in Tulum vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Tulum $1,252
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $2,131 per month in Tulum vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Tulum $2,131
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $3,010 per month in Tulum vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Tulum $3,010
Montreal $4,092

Tulum is about 37% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tulum sits 7% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.26 MX$150

$19.31 CA$27.46

-57.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 MX$1,026

$75.5 CA$107

-25.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 MX$148

$10.63 CA$15.11

-23.52%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$70.4

$3.93 CA$5.58

-1.53%

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

$1.14 MX$20.80

$1.92 CA$2.73

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.42

$1.48 CA$2.11

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 MX$53.5

$6.30 CA$8.96

-53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 MX$69.1

$7.19 CA$10.22

-47.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 MX$28.75

$2.22 CA$3.16

-28.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 MX$36.31

$3.06 CA$4.35

-34.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 MX$31.71

$2.94 CA$4.18

-40.82%

Eggs

$1.89 MX$34.29

$3.53 CA$5.02

-46.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.55 MX$101

$13.19 CA$18.76

-57.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 MX$144

$11.24 CA$15.98

-29.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 MX$165

$13.81 CA$19.65

-34.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 MX$48.31

$3.40 CA$4.84

-21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$25.75

$1.44 CA$2.05

-1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 MX$27.67

$3.26 CA$4.64

-53.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 MX$27.34

$2.88 CA$4.09

-47.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 MX$41.45

$1.86 CA$2.64

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 MX$33.77

$1.82 CA$2.60

2.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.40

$2.43 CA$3.45

-37.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.11

$1.52 CA$2.17

-45.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 MX$79.9

$11.45 CA$16.29

-61.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 MX$152

$10.36 CA$14.73

-19.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 MX$25.31

$2.22 CA$3.15

-37.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 MX$24.00

$2.82 CA$4.01

-53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 MX$25.48

$2.58 CA$3.66

-45.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 MX$51.2

$3.25 CA$4.63

-13.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MX$44.47

$1.48 CA$2.11

64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 MX$102

$33.04 CA$46.99

-83.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.71

$1.36 CA$1.93

11.76%

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

$21.4K MX$389.2K

$27.4K CA$39.0K

-21.98%

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

$23.8K MX$433.0K

$20.0K CA$28.4K

19.15%

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

$106 MX$1,927

$76.1 CA$108

39.19%

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

$16.87 MX$307

$34.68 CA$49.32

-51.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.97 MX$636

$42.69 CA$60.7

-18.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.35 MX$625

$28.94 CA$41.17

18.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

Cinema Ticket

$6.45 MX$117

$11.21 CA$15.94

-42.46%

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

$263 MX$4,776

$505 CA$718

-48.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,022 MX$55.0K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-81.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.26 MX$769

$58.5 CA$83.2

-27.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 MX$605

$38.00 CA$54.1

-12.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 MX$1,772

$92.7 CA$132

5.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.2 MX$1,095

$106 CA$150

-43.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 MX$11.2K

$1,240 CA$1,764

-50.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 MX$9,808

$986 CA$1,402

-45.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 MX$27.4K

$2,102 CA$2,990

-28.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 MX$23.9K

$1,615 CA$2,297

-18.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,162 MX$57.5K

$5,043 CA$7,173

-37.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,818 MX$33.1K

$3,830 CA$5,447

-52.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 MX$14.3K

$2,920 CA$4,154

-73.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

4.46

142.15%

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

Last update for Tulum: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tulum

$539 42.8%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 82.9% $447

Groceries & Markets

Tulum

$222 17.6%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 54.7% $122

Eating Out

Tulum

$169 13.4%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 73.8% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulum

$158 12.5%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 2.7% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Tulum

$105 8.3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 26.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Tulum

$47 3.8%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 8.7% $4.1

Getting Around

Tulum

$21 * 1.6%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 374% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $614 in Tulum versus $1,240 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 272% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Tulum versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $344 – making Tulum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Tulum

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h ahead of Tulum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,721

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.9 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tulum Montreal 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tulum
Montreal

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

Tulum vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 60% more than Tulum, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,878 per month in Tulum and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tulum, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Tulum and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tulum, where all-in costs run around $1,252, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Tulum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Tulum costs $1,252 versus $2,003 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tulum. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.