Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zihuatanejo and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Zihuatanejo: $1,131 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Zihuatanejo
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Zihuatanejo Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Zihuatanejo

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,131

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,131 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,131
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $1,824 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $1,824
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $2,517 per month in Zihuatanejo vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Zihuatanejo $2,517
Montreal $4,187

Zihuatanejo is about 45% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zihuatanejo sits 17% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.86 MX$203

$18.84 CA$26.40

-42.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.16 MX$827

$73.2 CA$103

-39.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 MX$164

$10.54 CA$14.77

-17.08%

Cappuccino

$3.48 MX$65.2

$3.97 CA$5.56

-12.34%

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

$1.36 MX$25.45

$1.94 CA$2.71

-29.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MX$19.08

$1.57 CA$2.20

-35.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 MX$45.89

$6.42 CA$9.00

-61.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 MX$74.4

$7.20 CA$10.10

-44.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 MX$31.05

$2.32 CA$3.25

-28.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 MX$47.69

$3.19 CA$4.47

-20.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 MX$30.90

$3.19 CA$4.46

-48.28%

Eggs

$2.44 MX$45.61

$3.68 CA$5.15

-33.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MX$152

$13.24 CA$18.56

-38.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 MX$159

$11.69 CA$16.39

-27.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.56 MX$216

$13.98 CA$19.59

-17.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$3.14 CA$4.40

-13.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 MX$29.27

$1.45 CA$2.03

7.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$3.38 CA$4.73

-42.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 MX$33.10

$3.11 CA$4.36

-43.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.24

$1.93 CA$2.70

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$35.15

$1.83 CA$2.56

2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.71

$2.36 CA$3.31

-39.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 MX$20.47

$1.50 CA$2.11

-27.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 MX$80.1

$11.12 CA$15.59

-61.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.27 MX$192

$10.60 CA$14.85

-3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 MX$34.04

$2.22 CA$3.11

-18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 MX$57.3

$2.84 CA$3.98

7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MX$12.77

$2.62 CA$3.68

-74.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 MX$48.93

$3.23 CA$4.52

-19.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 MX$37.88

$1.48 CA$2.08

36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 MX$209

$32.22 CA$45.15

-65.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.93

$1.36 CA$1.91

5.88%

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

$21.3K MX$398.4K

$27.6K CA$38.7K

-23.00%

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

$23.9K MX$447.0K

$21.2K CA$29.7K

12.69%

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

$57.3 MX$1,072

$77.0 CA$108

-25.67%

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

$23.00 MX$431

$34.14 CA$47.84

-32.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.80 MX$558

$42.19 CA$59.1

-29.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.76 MX$651

$30.81 CA$43.18

12.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 MX$375

$19.66 CA$27.54

1.83%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.2

$11.47 CA$16.08

-55.19%

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

$216 MX$4,041

$506 CA$709

-57.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,526 MX$84.7K

$16.2K CA$22.8K

-72.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 MX$1,038

$57.3 CA$80.2

-3.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 MX$753

$38.10 CA$53.4

5.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 MX$1,844

$91.9 CA$129

7.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 MX$1,684

$110 CA$154

-18.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MX$11.1K

$1,237 CA$1,733

-51.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 MX$7,182

$977 CA$1,369

-60.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MX$19.7K

$2,180 CA$3,055

-51.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 MX$14.2K

$1,608 CA$2,253

-52.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 MX$35.8K

$5,113 CA$7,165

-62.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 MX$21.5K

$3,744 CA$5,247

-69.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,144

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.48

152.23%

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

Last update for Zihuatanejo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zihuatanejo

$384 34%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 155% $593

Groceries & Markets

Zihuatanejo

$264 23.3%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 33.1% $87

Eating Out

Zihuatanejo

$185 16.3%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 57.4% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Zihuatanejo

$128 11.3%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 4.5% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zihuatanejo

$110 9.7%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 39.4% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Zihuatanejo

$45 4%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 19.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Zihuatanejo

$15 * 1.4%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 549% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $596 in Zihuatanejo versus $1,237 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Zihuatanejo versus $73 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $351 – making Zihuatanejo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Zihuatanejo

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

2 h ahead of Zihuatanejo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,408

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

1 CAD = 0.714 USD

1 CAD = 0.636 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 18.72 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zihuatanejo Montreal 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zihuatanejo
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

Zihuatanejo vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 82% more than Zihuatanejo, 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 $1,696 per month in Zihuatanejo and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zihuatanejo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $596 there versus $1,237 in Montreal.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Zihuatanejo and $73 in Montreal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zihuatanejo, where all-in costs run around $1,131, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Zihuatanejo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zihuatanejo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.