Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isabela and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,258 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
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Isabela Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,258

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,258 in Isabela versus $2,067 in Montreal.

Isabela $1,258
Montreal $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,974 in Isabela versus $3,179 in Montreal.

Isabela $1,974
Montreal $3,179

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,690 in Isabela versus $4,291 in Montreal.

Isabela $2,690
Montreal $4,291

Living in Isabela costs roughly 39% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isabela is 7% below, Montreal is 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.01 $19.01

$18.89 CA$26.48

0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$72.6 CA$102

12.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 $8.95

$10.79 CA$15.13

-17.05%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$3.98 CA$5.58

-9.05%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$2.02 CA$2.83

-5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.63 CA$2.29

-7.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$6.32 CA$8.86

-52.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$7.06 CA$9.90

-27.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.33 CA$3.27

-15.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.25 CA$4.55

-13.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$3.26 CA$4.58

-62.88%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$3.48 CA$4.87

-15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 $10.82

$13.73 CA$19.25

-21.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$11.48 CA$16.09

-43.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.50 $13.50

$14.26 CA$19.99

-5.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.52 CA$4.94

24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.46 CA$2.04

79.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.41 CA$4.78

43.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$3.20 CA$4.49

47.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.94 CA$2.71

98.45%

Onion (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.78 CA$2.50

128.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.52 CA$3.53

39.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.58 CA$2.22

3.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$11.51 CA$16.13

2.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.43 $15.43

$10.57 CA$14.82

45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.35 CA$3.29

27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$2.90 CA$4.06

36.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.17 CA$4.45

-22.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.49 CA$2.09

3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.55 $41.55

$33.49 CA$46.94

24.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.36 CA$1.91

-35.29%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$28.0K CA$39.3K

24.11%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

32.86%

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

$315 $315

$77.6 CA$109

305.80%

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

$68.8 $68.8

$35.63 CA$49.94

93.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$43.73 CA$61.3

60.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 $10.38

$11.27 CA$15.80

-7.90%

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

$837 $837

$522 CA$732

60.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$17.8K CA$24.9K

-28.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 $56.7

$59.0 CA$82.7

-3.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 $61.7

$39.01 CA$54.7

58.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$99.8 CA$140

9.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$110 CA$154

4.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

4.51

45.23%

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

Last update for Isabela: November 3, 2026

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isabela

$454 36.1%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 65.4% $297

Groceries & Markets

Isabela

$358 28.4%

Montreal

$357 17.3% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Isabela

$261 20.8%

Montreal

$292 14.1% 11.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Isabela

$154 12.3%

Montreal

$138 6.7% 10.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Isabela

$21 * 1.7%

Montreal

$53 2.6% 154% $32

Getting Around

Isabela

$10 * 0.8%

Montreal

$100 4.8% 878% $89

Accommodation & Living

Isabela

- * 0%

Montreal

$970 47%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $81 in Isabela vs $73 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $357 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Isabela

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

1 h behind Isabela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Isabela Montreal 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Isabela
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

Isabela vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,887 in Isabela and $3,100 in Montreal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you’ll spend $1,258 per month in Isabela versus $2,067 in Montreal – Isabela is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73 versus $81 in Isabela. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Isabela is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Isabela and Montreal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.