Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Desamparados and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Desamparados: $1,689 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
Learn more

Desamparados Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,689

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,689 per month in Desamparados vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Desamparados $1,689
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,670 per month in Desamparados vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Desamparados $2,670
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,651 per month in Desamparados vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Desamparados $3,651
Montreal $4,152

Desamparados is about 16% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Desamparados and Montreal sit above the global median – Desamparados by 25%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ₡5,498

$18.82 CA$26.61

-34.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 ₡23.5K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-25.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.82 ₡5,303

$10.66 CA$15.06

10.88%

Cappuccino

$4.69 ₡2,101

$3.84 CA$5.43

22.14%

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

$2.39 ₡1,072

$1.92 CA$2.71

24.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₡889

$1.54 CA$2.18

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 ₡1,617

$6.23 CA$8.81

-42.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 ₡2,097

$7.10 CA$10.03

-34.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$2.31 CA$3.27

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 ₡1,217

$3.14 CA$4.44

-13.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡954

$3.21 CA$4.54

-33.64%

Eggs

$3.88 ₡1,740

$3.52 CA$4.97

10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 ₡5,412

$12.81 CA$18.11

-5.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,736

$11.46 CA$16.20

-7.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 ₡6,279

$13.39 CA$18.92

4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.90 ₡2,200

$3.14 CA$4.43

56.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡785

$1.44 CA$2.03

21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 ₡1,617

$3.47 CA$4.91

4.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,454

$3.07 CA$4.34

5.54%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 ₡1,564

$1.90 CA$2.69

83.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 ₡1,493

$1.77 CA$2.50

88.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡469

$2.34 CA$3.31

-55.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,283

$1.55 CA$2.19

84.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,524

$11.38 CA$16.09

-50.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.39 ₡6,903

$10.63 CA$15.03

44.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₡1,015

$2.27 CA$3.21

-0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,273

$2.82 CA$3.99

0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 ₡594

$2.66 CA$3.76

-50.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₡1,008

$3.20 CA$4.53

-29.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 ₡788

$1.48 CA$2.09

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.44 ₡3,337

$32.88 CA$46.48

-77.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.34 CA$1.90

14.93%

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

$21.5K ₡9.6M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-23.64%

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

$30.9K ₡13.9M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

57.46%

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

$97.5 ₡43.7K

$76.0 CA$107

28.38%

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

$34.11 ₡15.3K

$33.95 CA$48.00

0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 ₡25.2K

$42.31 CA$59.8

33.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.1 ₡31.0K

$29.76 CA$42.07

132.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 ₡3,571

$11.15 CA$15.77

-28.61%

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

$919 ₡412.2K

$507 CA$717

81.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ₡6.7M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-7.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$57.6 CA$81.4

33.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 ₡27.3K

$37.58 CA$53.1

61.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 ₡59.5K

$91.9 CA$130

44.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ₡54.4K

$110 CA$155

10.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$854 ₡383.1K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-32.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 ₡275.0K

$948 CA$1,340

-35.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,068 ₡927.3K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 ₡557.3K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-22.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.48

92.41%

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

Last update for Desamparados: 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

Desamparados

$613 36.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 54.5% $334

Groceries & Markets

Desamparados

$375 22.2%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 7.7% $29

Eating Out

Desamparados

$235 13.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 22.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Desamparados

$188 11.1%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 19% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Desamparados

$176 10.4%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 24.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Desamparados

$85 5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 38.8% $33

Getting Around

Desamparados

$16 * 1%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 503% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $854 in Desamparados 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 $52.0 in Desamparados versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $375 in Desamparados vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

08:52 8:52 AM

2 h ahead of Desamparados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Desamparados Montreal 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Desamparados
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

Desamparados vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,689 in Desamparados, $2,018 in Montreal – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,533 per month in Desamparados 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 Desamparados, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Desamparados and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Desamparados, where all-in costs run around $1,689, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Desamparados it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,689 in Desamparados to $2,018 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Desamparados. 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.