Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
Learn more

Esmeraldas Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Esmeraldas versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Esmeraldas $789
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,359 in Esmeraldas versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Esmeraldas $1,359
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,929 in Esmeraldas versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Esmeraldas $1,929
Montreal $4,152

Living in Esmeraldas costs roughly 61% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Esmeraldas is 42% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 $3.05

$18.82 CA$26.61

-83.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 $53.6

$70.3 CA$99.4

-23.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 $3.96

$10.66 CA$15.06

-62.85%

Cappuccino

$3.30 $3.30

$3.84 CA$5.43

-14.06%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$1.92 CA$2.71

-72.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.54 CA$2.18

-68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 $3.53

$6.23 CA$8.81

-43.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$7.10 CA$10.03

-17.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.31 CA$3.27

-55.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$3.14 CA$4.44

-50.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.21 CA$4.54

-52.96%

Eggs

$2.18 $2.18

$3.52 CA$4.97

-38.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$12.81 CA$18.11

-50.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$11.46 CA$16.20

-49.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$13.39 CA$18.92

-40.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$3.14 CA$4.43

-27.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.44 CA$2.03

-17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$3.47 CA$4.91

-61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$3.07 CA$4.34

-64.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.90 CA$2.69

-34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.77 CA$2.50

-42.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$2.34 CA$3.31

-79.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.55 CA$2.19

-31.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$11.38 CA$16.09

-48.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$10.63 CA$15.03

-6.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.27 CA$3.21

-32.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.82 CA$3.99

13.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 $0.35

$2.66 CA$3.76

-86.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.82 $15.82

$77.3 CA$109

-79.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.20 CA$4.53

-51.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.48 CA$2.09

-17.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$32.88 CA$46.48

-70.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.34 CA$1.90

-35.07%

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

$21.1K $21.1K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-25.17%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

43.43%

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

$28.51 $28.51

$76.0 CA$107

-62.47%

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

$17.81 $17.81

$33.95 CA$48.00

-47.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.81 $28.81

$42.31 CA$59.8

-31.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.46 $30.46

$29.76 CA$42.07

2.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 $16.98

$20.28 CA$28.67

-16.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 $6.53

$11.15 CA$15.77

-41.43%

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

$228 $228

$507 CA$717

-55.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,109 $9,109

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-43.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$57.6 CA$81.4

21.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.87 $49.87

$37.58 CA$53.1

32.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$91.9 CA$130

27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$110 CA$155

-2.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 $297

$1,260 CA$1,782

-76.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$948 CA$1,340

-80.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$2,137 CA$3,021

-70.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 $416

$1,614 CA$2,281

-74.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$4,960 CA$7,011

-72.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$706 $706

$3,838 CA$5,425

-81.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 $451

$2,827 CA$3,997

-84.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

4.48

125.89%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: 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

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 77.1% $151

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5%

Montreal

$948 47% 411% $762

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 13.6% $21

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 163% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 103% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 19.6% $8.5

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 296% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Esmeraldas and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 527% 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: $54.0 in Esmeraldas vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $346 per month, with Esmeraldas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

02:57 2:57 AM

1 h ahead of Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Esmeraldas Montreal 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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

Esmeraldas vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 156% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 527% 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: $297 in Esmeraldas versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas 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, Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.