Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,548
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,428 per month in Guanacaste vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,428
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,309 per month in Guanacaste vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,309
Montreal $4,152

Guanacaste is about 23% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guanacaste and Montreal sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 15%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,860

$18.82 CA$26.75

-42.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.9K

$70.3 CA$99.9

-30.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,248

$10.66 CA$15.14

9.57%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,036

$3.84 CA$5.46

17.97%

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

$2.75 ₡1,236

$1.92 CA$2.72

43.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡872

$1.54 CA$2.19

25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,420

$6.23 CA$8.86

-49.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,041

$7.10 CA$10.08

-36.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡897

$2.31 CA$3.29

-13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,366

$3.14 CA$4.47

-3.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$3.21 CA$4.57

-24.30%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,591

$3.52 CA$5.00

0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,442

$12.81 CA$18.21

-57.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,006

$11.46 CA$16.29

-60.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,870

$13.39 CA$19.03

-19.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,149

$3.14 CA$4.46

-18.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.44 CA$2.04

13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,026

$3.47 CA$4.94

29.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡699

$3.07 CA$4.37

-49.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,753

$1.90 CA$2.70

105.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,004

$1.77 CA$2.52

25.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡384

$2.34 CA$3.33

-63.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,389

$1.55 CA$2.21

99.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,988

$11.38 CA$16.17

-61.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,125

$10.63 CA$15.11

91.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$2.27 CA$3.23

27.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$2.82 CA$4.01

-5.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$2.66 CA$3.78

-51.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,102

$3.20 CA$4.55

-23.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡698

$1.48 CA$2.10

4.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,952

$32.88 CA$46.73

-73.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.34 CA$1.91

15.67%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-22.47%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$19.6K CA$27.9K

80.54%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$76.0 CA$108

27.01%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$33.95 CA$48.26

7.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$42.31 CA$60.1

-22.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$29.76 CA$42.29

142.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,401

$11.15 CA$15.85

-32.11%

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

$974 ₡437.5K

$507 CA$721

92.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$16.1K CA$22.8K

8.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.5K

$57.6 CA$81.8

14.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$37.58 CA$53.4

15.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$91.9 CA$131

-3.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$110 CA$156

-29.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.9K

$1,260 CA$1,792

-35.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.9K

$948 CA$1,347

-34.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡862.8K

$2,137 CA$3,037

-10.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡568.2K

$1,614 CA$2,293

-21.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

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 Guanacaste: 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

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Montreal

$948 47% 51.6% $322

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 11.4% $36

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 31.1% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 8.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 7.9% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 40.3% $35

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 539% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Guanacaste 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 $49.00 in Guanacaste versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $346 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

2 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Montreal 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
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

Guanacaste vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,321 per month in Guanacaste 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 Guanacaste, 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 $1,548 in Guanacaste and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Guanacaste 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 Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – 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 Guanacaste. 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.