Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in La Merced vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

La Merced $565
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $917 per month in La Merced vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

La Merced $917
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,269 per month in La Merced vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

La Merced $1,269
Montreal $4,152

La Merced is about 72% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

La Merced sits 58% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.04

$18.82 CA$26.61

-76.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 119

$70.3 CA$99.4

-50.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.26

$10.66 CA$15.06

-36.49%

Cappuccino

$3.16 PEN 10.84

$3.84 CA$5.43

-17.71%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.67

$1.92 CA$2.71

-44.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$1.54 CA$2.18

-58.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PEN 8.93

$6.23 CA$8.81

-58.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.87

$7.10 CA$10.03

-39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$2.31 CA$3.27

-29.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.79

$3.14 CA$4.44

-36.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$3.21 CA$4.54

-60.12%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$3.52 CA$4.97

-33.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$12.81 CA$18.11

-44.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$11.46 CA$16.20

-48.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 PEN 29.69

$13.39 CA$18.92

-35.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.45

$3.14 CA$4.43

-67.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$1.44 CA$2.03

-68.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$3.47 CA$4.91

-91.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$3.07 CA$4.34

-75.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$1.90 CA$2.69

-84.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.45

$1.77 CA$2.50

-76.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$2.34 CA$3.31

-73.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$1.55 CA$2.19

-41.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 PEN 19.25

$11.38 CA$16.09

-50.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 PEN 25.26

$10.63 CA$15.03

-30.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.43

$2.27 CA$3.21

-17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 11.10

$2.82 CA$3.99

14.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 PEN 13.12

$3.20 CA$4.53

19.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 PEN 7.14

$1.48 CA$2.09

40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 PEN 25.41

$32.88 CA$46.48

-77.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 PEN 5.97

$1.34 CA$1.90

29.85%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-21.41%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

29.84%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$76.0 CA$107

-4.11%

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

$16.49 PEN 56.6

$33.95 CA$48.00

-51.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.80 PEN 95.5

$42.31 CA$59.8

-34.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 PEN 25.22

$11.15 CA$15.77

-34.17%

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

$181 PEN 622

$507 CA$717

-64.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-17.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$57.6 CA$81.4

-8.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 PEN 121

$37.58 CA$53.1

-6.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 PEN 282

$91.9 CA$130

-10.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$110 CA$155

-27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

4.48

99.55%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$186 32.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 86.8% $161

Eating Out

La Merced

$122 21.5%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 136% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$117 20.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 30% $35

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$112 19.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 19.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$15 * 2.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 254% $37

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 593% $84

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $346 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h ahead of La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Merced Montreal 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 257% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in La Merced and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in La Merced and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 257%.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in La Merced and $507 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Montreal at $2,018. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Merced costs $565 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 La Merced. 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.