Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaco Beach and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,447 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,447

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Jaco Beach versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Jaco Beach $1,447
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,313 in Jaco Beach versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Jaco Beach $2,313
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,180 in Jaco Beach versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Jaco Beach $3,180
Montreal $4,187

Living in Jaco Beach costs roughly 30% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jaco Beach 7% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.77 ₡5,278

$18.84 CA$26.63

-37.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.49 ₡19.5K

$73.2 CA$104

-40.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 ₡4,505

$10.54 CA$14.90

-4.65%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₡1,768

$3.97 CA$5.61

-0.76%

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

$2.38 ₡1,065

$1.94 CA$2.74

22.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡833

$1.57 CA$2.22

18.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 ₡1,475

$6.42 CA$9.08

-48.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,943

$7.20 CA$10.19

-39.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₡853

$2.32 CA$3.28

-18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 ₡997

$3.19 CA$4.51

-30.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$3.19 CA$4.50

-23.82%

Eggs

$2.61 ₡1,171

$3.68 CA$5.20

-29.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,764

$13.24 CA$18.72

-19.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 ₡4,123

$11.69 CA$16.53

-21.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.90 ₡5,338

$13.98 CA$19.76

-14.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,278

$3.14 CA$4.44

61.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ₡742

$1.45 CA$2.05

14.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,033

$3.38 CA$4.78

34.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 ₡1,590

$3.11 CA$4.40

13.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.93 CA$2.72

-19.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ₡637

$1.83 CA$2.58

-22.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡454

$2.36 CA$3.34

-57.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₡894

$1.50 CA$2.12

32.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.79 ₡2,598

$11.12 CA$15.73

-47.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 ₡6,366

$10.60 CA$14.98

33.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,188

$2.22 CA$3.14

19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₡1,012

$2.84 CA$4.01

-20.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$3.23 CA$4.56

-25.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.48 CA$2.10

4.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.91 ₡3,994

$32.22 CA$45.55

-72.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.36 CA$1.92

13.97%

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

$34.1K ₡15.3M

$27.6K CA$39.1K

23.48%

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

$41.6K ₡18.7M

$21.2K CA$30.0K

96.42%

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

$80.2 ₡36.0K

$77.0 CA$109

4.14%

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

$24.70 ₡11.1K

$34.14 CA$48.26

-27.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.61 ₡20.9K

$42.19 CA$59.7

10.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 ₡23.9K

$30.81 CA$43.56

72.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,395

$11.47 CA$16.22

-34.00%

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

$492 ₡220.8K

$506 CA$716

-2.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,283 ₡3.3M

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-55.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.70 ₡11.1K

$57.3 CA$81.0

-56.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.2 ₡25.6K

$38.10 CA$53.9

50.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.8K

$91.9 CA$130

42.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$110 CA$155

20.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$766 ₡343.4K

$1,237 CA$1,748

-38.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ₡233.2K

$977 CA$1,381

-46.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 ₡891.0K

$2,180 CA$3,082

-8.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ₡499.1K

$1,608 CA$2,273

-30.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$399 ₡178.8K

$2,957 CA$4,180

-86.52%

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 Jaco Beach: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jaco Beach

$520 35.9%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 87.8% $457

Groceries & Markets

Jaco Beach

$328 22.7%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 7.1% $23

Eating Out

Jaco Beach

$214 14.8%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 36% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Jaco Beach

$156 10.8%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 14.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaco Beach

$152 10.5%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 1.2% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Jaco Beach

$68 4.7%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 21.4% $15

Getting Around

Jaco Beach

$10 * 0.7%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 885% $90

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 $766 in Jaco Beach and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 642% 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: $43.00 in Jaco Beach vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $351 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

2 h ahead of Jaco Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 20, 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 20, 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

Jaco Beach Montreal 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jaco Beach
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

Jaco Beach vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 42% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 642% 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: $766 in Jaco Beach versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Jaco Beach versus $506 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,447 in Jaco Beach versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jaco Beach but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Jaco Beach the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jaco Beach 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, Jaco Beach 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 Jaco Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.