Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Escazu and Montreal

For one person, living costs are similar in Escazu and in Montreal: $1,933 and $2,018 a month, rent and utilities included.

94

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,933

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,933 in Escazu versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Escazu $1,933
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,966 in Escazu versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Escazu $2,966
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,999 in Escazu versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Escazu $3,999
Montreal $4,152

Living in Escazu costs roughly 4% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Escazu 43% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 ₡5,486

$18.82 CA$26.61

-35.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 ₡27.9K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-11.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.48 ₡5,146

$10.66 CA$15.06

7.69%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,045

$3.84 CA$5.43

18.75%

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

$2.72 ₡1,218

$1.92 CA$2.71

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡828

$1.54 CA$2.18

20.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,505

$6.23 CA$8.81

-46.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,006

$7.10 CA$10.03

-37.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₡1,040

$2.31 CA$3.27

0.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,397

$3.14 CA$4.44

-0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,117

$3.21 CA$4.54

-22.43%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,611

$3.52 CA$4.97

1.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,757

$12.81 CA$18.11

-17.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 ₡4,581

$11.46 CA$16.20

-10.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ₡6,252

$13.39 CA$18.92

4.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 ₡2,301

$3.14 CA$4.43

63.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡726

$1.44 CA$2.03

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 ₡1,416

$3.47 CA$4.91

-8.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,378

$3.07 CA$4.34

Potato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,698

$1.90 CA$2.69

99.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$1.77 CA$2.50

110.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡465

$2.34 CA$3.31

-55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₡762

$1.55 CA$2.19

9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.53 ₡2,479

$11.38 CA$16.09

-51.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ₡8,249

$10.63 CA$15.03

73.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₡745

$2.27 CA$3.21

-26.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₡1,202

$2.82 CA$3.99

-4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₡491

$2.66 CA$3.76

-59.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 ₡923

$3.20 CA$4.53

-35.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.48 CA$2.09

6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,927

$32.88 CA$46.48

-73.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ₡664

$1.34 CA$1.90

10.45%

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

$22.4K ₡10.1M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-20.37%

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

$35.2K ₡15.8M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

79.24%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$76.0 CA$107

24.47%

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

$29.81 ₡13.4K

$33.95 CA$48.00

-12.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$42.31 CA$59.8

42.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 ₡48.6K

$29.76 CA$42.07

264.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.15 ₡4,550

$20.28 CA$28.67

-49.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,502

$11.15 CA$15.77

-29.96%

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

$457 ₡204.9K

$507 CA$717

-9.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

5.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 ₡31.9K

$57.6 CA$81.4

23.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 ₡25.0K

$37.58 CA$53.1

48.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.6K

$91.9 CA$130

42.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.4K

$110 CA$155

18.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 ₡373.9K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 ₡378.8K

$948 CA$1,340

-10.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,961 ₡879.3K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-8.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 ₡676.4K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-6.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,407 ₡630.8K

$4,960 CA$7,011

-71.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 ₡435.7K

$3,838 CA$5,425

-74.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,746 ₡782.8K

$2,827 CA$3,997

-38.26%

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 Escazu: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Escazu

$845 43.7%

Montreal

$948 47% 12.2% $103

Groceries & Markets

Escazu

$361 18.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 3.9% $14

Eating Out

Escazu

$231 12%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 24.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Escazu

$184 9.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 17.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Escazu

$174 9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 23.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Escazu

$124 6.4%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 58% $72

Getting Around

Escazu

$14 * 0.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 589% $84

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 $834 in Escazu and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 62% 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: $62.0 in Escazu vs $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $361 vs $346, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Escazu

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

2 h ahead of Escazu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,984

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

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Between locations

Escazu Montreal 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Escazu
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

Escazu vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Escazu is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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: $834 in Escazu versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Montreal pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,933 per month in Escazu versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,933 in Escazu versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Escazu but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Escazu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Escazu 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, Escazu 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 Escazu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.