Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $595 in Calama versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Calama $595
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Calama versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Calama $1,203
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Calama $1,812
Montreal $4,152

Living in Calama costs roughly 71% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 56% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$18.82 CA$26.61

-63.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-55.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$3.84 CA$5.43

-46.61%

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

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.92 CA$2.71

-51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$1.54 CA$2.18

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$6.23 CA$8.81

-49.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$7.10 CA$10.03

-26.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$2.31 CA$3.27

-52.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$3.14 CA$4.44

-73.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$3.21 CA$4.54

-18.38%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$3.52 CA$4.97

40.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$12.81 CA$18.11

-26.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$11.46 CA$16.20

-45.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$13.39 CA$18.92

-43.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$3.14 CA$4.43

-59.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$1.44 CA$2.03

-27.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$3.47 CA$4.91

-55.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$3.07 CA$4.34

-64.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$1.90 CA$2.69

-52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.77 CA$2.50

-47.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$11.38 CA$16.09

-53.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$10.63 CA$15.03

-60.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$2.27 CA$3.21

-55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$2.82 CA$3.99

-55.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$2.66 CA$3.76

-64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$1.48 CA$2.09

-3.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.34 CA$1.90

7.46%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

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

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$76.0 CA$107

-47.27%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$42.31 CA$59.8

-68.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$29.76 CA$42.07

73.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$20.28 CA$28.67

2.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$11.15 CA$15.77

-57.94%

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

$306 CLP 301.6K

$507 CA$717

-39.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$57.6 CA$81.4

-37.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$37.58 CA$53.1

-24.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$91.9 CA$130

-50.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$110 CA$155

-43.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-74.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$948 CA$1,340

-89.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-62.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-62.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$4,960 CA$7,011

-71.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$3,838 CA$5,425

-67.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$2,827 CA$3,997

-60.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.61%

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

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 96.6% $170

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 153% $174

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 827% $845

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 72.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 14.8% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 185% $99

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 800% $88

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 $327 in Calama and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 155% 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: $31.00 in Calama vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $346 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:28 4:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

1 h behind Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Calama Montreal 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

Calama vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 239% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 155% lower in Montreal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $327 in Calama versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 97% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $595 per month in Calama versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 239% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $595 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Calama and Montreal 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 Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 239% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.