Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machala and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $654 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Machala
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Machala Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$654

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $654 in Machala versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Machala $654
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,045 in Machala versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Machala $1,045
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,436 in Machala versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Machala $1,436
Montreal $4,152

Living in Machala costs roughly 68% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Machala is 52% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.69 $2.69

$18.82 CA$26.61

-85.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.09 $25.09

$70.3 CA$99.4

-64.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.21 $5.21

$10.66 CA$15.06

-51.13%

Cappuccino

$2.70 $2.70

$3.84 CA$5.43

-29.69%

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

$0.84 $0.84

$1.92 CA$2.71

-56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 $0.75

$1.54 CA$2.18

-51.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 $1.94

$6.23 CA$8.81

-68.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 $3.80

$7.10 CA$10.03

-46.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$2.31 CA$3.27

-52.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 $1.05

$3.14 CA$4.44

-66.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$3.21 CA$4.54

-70.09%

Eggs

$1.50 $1.50

$3.52 CA$4.97

-57.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$12.81 CA$18.11

-73.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 $4.12

$11.46 CA$16.20

-64.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$13.39 CA$18.92

-64.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.14 CA$4.43

-50.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.44 CA$2.03

-55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 $0.74

$3.47 CA$4.91

-78.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 $0.53

$3.07 CA$4.34

-82.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.90 CA$2.69

-80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.77 CA$2.50

-72.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 $0.37

$2.34 CA$3.31

-84.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.55 CA$2.19

-36.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 $4.39

$11.38 CA$16.09

-61.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.59 $7.59

$10.63 CA$15.03

-28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.27 CA$3.21

-33.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.82 CA$3.99

-25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$2.66 CA$3.76

-87.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 $22.38

$77.3 CA$109

-71.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$3.20 CA$4.53

-54.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.48 CA$2.09

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.98 $7.98

$32.88 CA$46.48

-75.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 $0.59

$1.34 CA$1.90

-55.97%

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

$18.1K $18.1K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-35.69%

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

$21.9K $21.9K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

11.43%

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

$50.8 $50.8

$76.0 CA$107

-33.08%

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

$15.01 $15.01

$33.95 CA$48.00

-55.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.60 $26.60

$42.31 CA$59.8

-37.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.11 $43.11

$29.76 CA$42.07

44.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.17 $30.17

$20.28 CA$28.67

48.77%

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 $4.91

$11.15 CA$15.77

-55.96%

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

$133 $133

$507 CA$717

-73.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,667 $5,667

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-64.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 $65.9

$57.6 CA$81.4

14.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.72 $39.72

$37.58 CA$53.1

5.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$91.9 CA$130

-13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 $67.6

$110 CA$155

-38.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 $193

$1,260 CA$1,782

-84.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$132 $132

$948 CA$1,340

-86.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 $349

$2,137 CA$3,021

-83.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 $265

$1,614 CA$2,281

-83.58%

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)

$458 $458

$2,827 CA$3,997

-83.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.61%

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

Last update for Machala: 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

Machala

$136 20.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 155% $211

Accommodation & Living

Machala

$132 20.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 618% $816

Clothing & Footwear

Machala

$114 17.4%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 17.2% $20

Eating Out

Machala

$93 14.3%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 209% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machala

$92 14.1%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 64.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Machala

$53 8.1%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 1.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Machala

$34 5.2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 188% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $193 in Machala and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 518% 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: $25.00 in Machala vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $136 vs $346 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Machala

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

01:44 1:44 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

1 h ahead of Machala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,260

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

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Between locations

Machala Montreal 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Machala
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

Machala vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 208% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 518% 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: $193 in Machala versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Machala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $654 per month in Machala versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 208% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $654 in Machala versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Machala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Machala 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, Machala 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 Machala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 208% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.