Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zacatecas and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Zacatecas: $738 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Zacatecas
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Zacatecas Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Zacatecas

🇲🇽 Mexico

$738

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $738 per month in Zacatecas vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Zacatecas $738
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Zacatecas vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,170
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,602 per month in Zacatecas vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Zacatecas $1,602
Montreal $4,152

Zacatecas is about 63% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zacatecas sits 45% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 MX$113

$18.82 CA$26.61

-67.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.70 MX$586

$70.3 CA$99.4

-54.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 MX$139

$10.66 CA$15.06

-29.64%

Cappuccino

$2.96 MX$54.7

$3.84 CA$5.43

-22.92%

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

$1.21 MX$22.31

$1.92 CA$2.71

-36.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 MX$13.31

$1.54 CA$2.18

-53.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 MX$34.45

$6.23 CA$8.81

-70.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 MX$75.4

$7.10 CA$10.03

-42.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 MX$25.41

$2.31 CA$3.27

-40.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 MX$40.91

$3.14 CA$4.44

-29.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.52

$3.21 CA$4.54

-52.02%

Eggs

$2.29 MX$42.31

$3.52 CA$4.97

-34.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 MX$135

$12.81 CA$18.11

-42.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.12 MX$113

$11.46 CA$16.20

-46.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 MX$171

$13.39 CA$18.92

-30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 MX$32.31

$3.14 CA$4.43

-44.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.63

$1.44 CA$2.03

15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.30

$3.47 CA$4.91

-41.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 MX$27.05

$3.07 CA$4.34

-52.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.98

$1.90 CA$2.69

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 MX$32.50

$1.77 CA$2.50

-0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.04

$2.34 CA$3.31

-35.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.60

$1.55 CA$2.19

-45.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MX$79.4

$11.38 CA$16.09

-62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 MX$197

$10.63 CA$15.03

0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 MX$30.90

$2.27 CA$3.21

-26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MX$62.5

$2.82 CA$3.99

19.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 MX$9.88

$2.66 CA$3.76

-80.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.52 MX$305

$77.3 CA$109

-78.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 MX$40.77

$3.20 CA$4.53

-30.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 MX$19.91

$1.48 CA$2.09

-27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.28 MX$227

$32.88 CA$46.48

-62.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 MX$26.79

$1.34 CA$1.90

8.21%

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

$21.1K MX$390.6K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-24.92%

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

$24.5K MX$452.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

24.77%

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

$23.16 MX$428

$76.0 CA$107

-69.51%

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

$8.38 MX$155

$33.95 CA$48.00

-75.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.17 MX$465

$42.31 CA$59.8

-40.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.02 MX$462

$29.76 CA$42.07

-15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.17 MX$151

$20.28 CA$28.67

-59.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$81.1

$11.15 CA$15.77

-60.63%

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

$256 MX$4,736

$507 CA$717

-49.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,234 MX$59.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-79.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.26 MX$836

$57.6 CA$81.4

-21.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 MX$743

$37.58 CA$53.1

6.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 MX$1,692

$91.9 CA$130

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.08 MX$796

$110 CA$155

-60.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 MX$4,467

$1,260 CA$1,782

-80.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 MX$2,994

$948 CA$1,340

-82.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 MX$7,074

$2,137 CA$3,021

-82.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 MX$4,606

$1,614 CA$2,281

-84.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$571 MX$10.5K

$3,838 CA$5,425

-85.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$407 MX$7,527

$2,827 CA$3,997

-85.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.8

4.48

141.07%

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

Last update for Zacatecas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zacatecas

$228 30.9%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 52.1% $119

Accommodation & Living

Zacatecas

$162 22%

Montreal

$948 47% 485% $786

Eating Out

Zacatecas

$132 17.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 118% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Zacatecas

$99 13.4%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 34.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zacatecas

$57 7.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 168% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Zacatecas

$34 4.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 54% $18

Getting Around

Zacatecas

$26 3.6%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 275% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $242 in Zacatecas versus $1,260 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 594% 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 $32.00 in Zacatecas versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $346 – making Zacatecas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zacatecas

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

2 h ahead of Zacatecas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,444

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zacatecas Montreal 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Zacatecas
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

Zacatecas vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 174% more than Zacatecas, 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 $1,107 per month in Zacatecas and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 52% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Zacatecas and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zacatecas, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Zacatecas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Zacatecas costs $738 versus $2,018 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 Zacatecas. 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.