Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cali and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Cali: $1,054 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,054

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,054 in Cali versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Cali $1,054
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Cali versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Cali $1,614
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Cali versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Cali $2,174
Montreal $4,092

Living in Cali costs roughly 47% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cali is 21% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.26 COP 23.1K

$19.31 CA$27.52

-62.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.04 COP 118.0K

$75.5 CA$108

-50.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 COP 25.6K

$10.63 CA$15.15

-24.27%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,920

$3.93 CA$5.60

-60.81%

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

$1.25 COP 3,986

$1.92 CA$2.73

-34.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 COP 2,675

$1.48 CA$2.11

-43.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 COP 10.1K

$6.30 CA$8.98

-49.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 COP 11.4K

$7.19 CA$10.24

-50.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 COP 4,946

$2.22 CA$3.17

-30.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 COP 5,964

$3.06 CA$4.36

-38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,772

$2.94 CA$4.19

-48.98%

Eggs

$2.77 COP 8,814

$3.53 CA$5.03

-21.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.40 COP 20.4K

$13.19 CA$18.79

-51.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 COP 22.0K

$11.24 CA$16.02

-38.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 COP 31.6K

$13.81 CA$19.69

-28.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 COP 10.9K

$3.40 CA$4.85

0.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 COP 4,143

$1.44 CA$2.06

-9.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 COP 5,600

$3.26 CA$4.65

-46.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,365

$2.88 CA$4.10

-41.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,681

$1.86 CA$2.65

-20.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 COP 4,673

$1.82 CA$2.60

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 COP 3,514

$2.43 CA$3.46

-54.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 COP 2,973

$1.52 CA$2.17

-38.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 COP 11.6K

$11.45 CA$16.32

-68.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.56 COP 40.0K

$10.36 CA$14.76

21.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,517

$2.22 CA$3.16

-36.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,632

$2.82 CA$4.02

-14.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 COP 3,335

$2.58 CA$3.67

-59.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.00 COP 92.4K

$76.9 CA$110

-62.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 COP 2,637

$3.25 CA$4.64

-74.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 COP 3,999

$1.36 CA$1.94

-8.09%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

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

$33.7K COP 107.4M

$20.0K CA$28.5K

68.70%

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

$111 COP 354.4K

$76.1 CA$109

46.10%

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

$12.79 COP 40.8K

$34.68 CA$49.43

-63.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.75 COP 94.8K

$42.69 CA$60.9

-30.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.38 COP 90.4K

$28.94 CA$41.26

-1.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.2K

$11.21 CA$15.98

-26.49%

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

$505 CA$720

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 COP 241.4K

$58.5 CA$83.4

29.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 COP 171.5K

$38.00 CA$54.2

41.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 COP 390.3K

$92.7 CA$132

32.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 COP 347.1K

$106 CA$151

2.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$638 COP 2.0M

$1,240 CA$1,768

-48.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$291 COP 927.7K

$986 CA$1,405

-70.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 COP 4.8M

$2,102 CA$2,996

-28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 COP 1.5M

$1,615 CA$2,302

-70.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$567 COP 1.8M

$2,920 CA$4,163

-80.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

4.46

159.64%

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

Last update for Cali: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cali

$291 27.6%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 239% $695

Groceries & Markets

Cali

$235 22.3%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 46.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Cali

$162 15.4%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 18.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cali

$154 14.6%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Cali

$132 12.5%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 122% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Cali

$45 4.3%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 14.5% $6.5

Getting Around

Cali

$34 * 3.2%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 188% $64

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 $638 in Cali and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 415% 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: $37.00 in Cali vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $344 per month, with Cali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cali

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

23:40 11:40 PM

1 h ahead of Cali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,609

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cali Montreal 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cali
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

Cali vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cali is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 90% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 415% 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: $638 in Cali versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cali – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Cali runs roughly 165% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,054 in Cali versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cali but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Cali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cali is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cali 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 Cali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 90% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.