Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montpellier and Santa Fe, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Montpellier: $1,948 a month against $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index

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Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,948

/mo nomad

Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montpellier and in Santa Fe, NM

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montpellier and in Santa Fe, NM actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,948 in Montpellier versus $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM.

Montpellier $1,948
Santa Fe, NM $2,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,955 in Montpellier versus $3,964 in Santa Fe, NM.

Montpellier $2,955
Santa Fe, NM $3,964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,962 in Montpellier versus $5,059 in Santa Fe, NM.

Montpellier $3,962
Santa Fe, NM $5,059

Living in Montpellier costs roughly 32% less than in Santa Fe, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montpellier 43% above, Santa Fe, NM 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.70 €14.96

$16.79 $16.79

-0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.1 €64.6

$67.2 $67.2

7.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.86

$10.05 $10.05

31.74%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.27

$5.13 $5.13

-28.85%

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

$3.05 €2.73

$2.84 $2.84

7.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.34 $2.34

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.15

$6.11 $6.11

-5.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.10

$7.14 $7.14

-35.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.94 $0.94

43.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.97

$3.14 $3.14

-29.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$4.58 $4.58

-40.83%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.33

$4.15 $4.15

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.67 €16.72

$11.69 $11.69

59.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.81 €12.37

$9.72 $9.72

42.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.91 €22.31

$17.05 $17.05

46.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$4.71 $4.71

-39.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$1.48 $1.48

66.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.56

$3.82 $3.82

-25.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 €3.51

$4.29 $4.29

-8.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$3.25 $3.25

-28.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$2.05 $2.05

45.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 €1.56

$2.00 $2.00

-13.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.57

$2.43 $2.43

-74.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.24 €12.76

$10.72 $10.72

32.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.84

$16.16 $16.16

-52.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 €3.27

$2.12 $2.12

72.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.46

$3.71 $3.71

-26.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.02 $1.02

99.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$2.08 €1.87

$19.97 $19.97

-89.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 €4.51

$3.66 $3.66

37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.96 $1.96

-16.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.42 €29.93

$32.25 $32.25

3.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.02 $1.02

108.82%

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

$34.4K €30.8K

$26.5K $26.5K

29.87%

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

$39.0K €34.9K

$25.6K $25.6K

51.98%

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

$220 €197

$159 $159

38.39%

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

$16.67 €14.93

$45.35 $45.35

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.14 €28.78

$73.4 $73.4

-56.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.24 €31.56

$69.7 $69.7

-49.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.08 €12.61

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 €12.35

$13.16 $13.16

4.79%

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

$731 €655

$1,344 $1,344

-45.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$15.5K $15.5K

-14.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.7

$55.3 $55.3

60.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.8 €57.1

$42.87 $42.87

48.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.5

$78.6 $78.6

29.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 €159

$119 $119

48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 €759

$2,172 $2,172

-61.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 €659

$1,652 $1,652

-55.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 €1,411

$3,059 $3,059

-48.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 €1,103

$2,387 $2,387

-48.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,909 €4,396

$6,231 $6,231

-21.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,599 €3,224

$3,826 $3,826

-5.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,777 €2,487

$3,927 $3,927

-29.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

6.57

-42.01%

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

Last update for Montpellier: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montpellier

$735 37.8%

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 57.6% 125% $916

Groceries & Markets

Montpellier

$388 19.9%

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.3% 1.7% $6.7

Eating Out

Montpellier

$275 14.1%

Santa Fe, NM

$292 10.2% 5.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montpellier

$269 13.8%

Santa Fe, NM

$278 9.7% 3.3% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Montpellier

$194 10%

Santa Fe, NM

$133 4.6% 31.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Montpellier

$63 3.2%

Santa Fe, NM

$96 3.4% 52.8% $33

Getting Around

Montpellier

$23 1.2%

Santa Fe, NM

$38 1.3% 60.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $847 in Montpellier and $2,172 in Santa Fe, NM. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santa Fe, NM pays 41% 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: $72 in Montpellier vs $67 in Santa Fe, NM for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $388 vs $381 per month, with Santa Fe, NM cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

12:19 12:19 PM

8 h behind Montpellier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,454

87,505

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montpellier Santa Fe, NM 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montpellier
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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

Montpellier vs Santa Fe, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montpellier is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Montpellier. 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: $847 in Montpellier versus $2,172 in Santa Fe, NM. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Montpellier versus $1,344 in Santa Fe, NM. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Fe, NM – a meal for two runs $67 versus $72 in Montpellier. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,948 in Montpellier versus $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Montpellier but tight or insufficient in Santa Fe, NM. The gap between the two cities makes Montpellier the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Montpellier wins on affordability, Santa Fe, NM on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.