Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,281 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Cartago vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Cartago $1,281
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,972 per month in Cartago vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Cartago $1,972
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,663 per month in Cartago vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Cartago $2,663
Montreal $4,152

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

Cartago sits 5% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 COP 24.1K

$18.82 CA$26.75

-59.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.20 COP 118.3K

$70.3 CA$99.9

-47.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$10.66 CA$15.14

-20.54%

Cappuccino

$1.54 COP 4,884

$3.84 CA$5.46

-59.90%

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

$1.28 COP 4,063

$1.92 CA$2.72

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 COP 2,634

$1.54 CA$2.19

-46.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 COP 9,869

$6.23 CA$8.86

-50.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 COP 11.7K

$7.10 CA$10.08

-48.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 COP 5,088

$2.31 CA$3.29

-30.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 COP 5,973

$3.14 CA$4.47

-40.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,751

$3.21 CA$4.57

-53.58%

Eggs

$2.93 COP 9,334

$3.52 CA$5.00

-16.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 COP 20.9K

$12.81 CA$18.21

-48.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 COP 22.6K

$11.46 CA$16.29

-37.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 COP 31.6K

$13.39 CA$19.03

-25.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 COP 11.4K

$3.14 CA$4.46

13.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,200

$1.44 CA$2.04

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 COP 5,530

$3.47 CA$4.94

-49.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,184

$3.07 CA$4.37

-46.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 COP 4,522

$1.90 CA$2.70

-25.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,758

$1.77 CA$2.52

-15.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 COP 3,443

$2.34 CA$3.33

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 COP 3,261

$1.55 CA$2.21

-33.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 COP 11.7K

$11.38 CA$16.17

-67.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.12 COP 41.7K

$10.63 CA$15.11

23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 COP 4,756

$2.27 CA$3.23

-33.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 COP 7,794

$2.82 CA$4.01

-13.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 COP 3,244

$2.66 CA$3.78

-61.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 COP 2,524

$3.20 CA$4.55

-75.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 COP 7,230

$1.48 CA$2.10

53.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.40 COP 26.7K

$32.88 CA$46.73

-74.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 COP 4,211

$1.34 CA$1.91

-1.49%

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

$28.0K COP 89.1M

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-0.44%

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

$34.6K COP 110.2M

$19.6K CA$27.9K

76.50%

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

$110 COP 349.3K

$76.0 CA$108

44.60%

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

$13.23 COP 42.1K

$33.95 CA$48.26

-61.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.26 COP 96.2K

$42.31 CA$60.1

-28.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.32 COP 134.6K

$29.76 CA$42.29

42.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 COP 26.2K

$11.15 CA$15.85

-26.10%

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

$701 COP 2.2M

$507 CA$721

38.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,430 COP 20.5M

$16.1K CA$22.8K

-59.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.8 COP 247.3K

$57.6 CA$81.8

35.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 COP 175.4K

$37.58 CA$53.4

46.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 COP 403.0K

$91.9 CA$131

37.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 COP 351.7K

$110 CA$156

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 COP 2.1M

$1,260 CA$1,792

-48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 COP 1.6M

$948 CA$1,347

-46.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 COP 3.3M

$2,137 CA$3,037

-51.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 COP 3.1M

$1,614 CA$2,293

-39.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,999 COP 6.4M

$4,960 CA$7,049

-59.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$3,838 CA$5,454

-53.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.58

4.48

158.48%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$509 39.7%

Montreal

$948 47% 86.2% $439

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$241 18.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 43.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$167 13%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 19.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$153 12%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 0.7% $1.1

Eating Out

Cartago

$136 10.6%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 112% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$59 4.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 11.5% $6.7

Getting Around

Cartago

$16 * 1.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 507% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Cartago 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Cartago versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $346 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartago

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,365

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartago Montreal 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
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

Cartago vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,921 per month in Cartago 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 Cartago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,281 in Cartago and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $701 per month in Cartago and $507 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartago – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Cartago. 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.