Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,752 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Acosta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,752 in Acosta.

Montreal $2,018
Acosta $1,752

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,725 in Acosta.

Montreal $3,085
Acosta $2,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,698 in Acosta.

Montreal $4,152
Acosta $3,698

Living in Montreal is roughly 15% more expensive than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Acosta 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$11.88 ₡5,328

58.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$59.0 ₡26.4K

19.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.56 ₡5,184

-7.79%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.17 ₡1,869

-7.91%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.54 ₡1,138

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.85 ₡830

-16.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.19 ₡1,432

95.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.37 ₡1,960

62.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.09 ₡938

10.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.47 ₡1,110

27.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.30 ₡1,032

39.57%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.75 ₡1,680

-6.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.95 ₡4,912

16.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$10.91 ₡4,894

5.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$15.12 ₡6,781

-11.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.79 ₡2,595

-45.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.78 ₡799

-19.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.53 ₡1,584

-1.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.23 ₡1,448

-4.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.26 ₡1,464

-41.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.44 ₡1,544

-48.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.05 ₡471

122.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.39 ₡1,073

-35.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$4.94 ₡2,215

130.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$17.53 ₡7,861

-39.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.27 ₡1,019

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.46 ₡1,104

14.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.15 ₡516

131.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.29 ₡1,026

39.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.59 ₡715

-6.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$9.52 ₡4,271

245.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.46 ₡653

-8.22%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

26.69%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$30.8K ₡13.8M

-36.26%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$93.7 ₡42.0K

-18.96%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$34.27 ₡15.4K

-0.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$57.5 ₡25.8K

-26.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-61.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.96 ₡3,571

40.08%

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

$507 CA$717

$845 ₡379.1K

-40.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$18.3K ₡8.2M

-12.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$81.0 ₡36.3K

-28.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$143 ₡64.0K

-35.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$114 ₡51.3K

-4.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$787 ₡353.0K

60.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$686 ₡307.7K

38.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,977 ₡886.4K

8.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,274 ₡571.5K

26.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,943 ₡871.5K

155.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$1,511 ₡677.5K

87.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.62

-48.03%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Acosta

$686 39.2% 27.6% $261

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Acosta

$373 21.3% 7.8% $27

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Acosta

$222 12.7% 22.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Acosta

$186 10.6% 21.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Acosta

$177 10.1% 32.6% $44

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Acosta

$15 * 0.9% 84.9% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Acosta

$93 5.3% 78.4% $41

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 $1,260 in Montreal and $787 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 87% 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: $70.0 in Montreal vs $59.0 in Acosta. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $373, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

3,072

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Acosta 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Acosta

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

Montreal vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Acosta differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $1,752 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $787 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Montreal pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $1,752 in Acosta – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta 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.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Acosta 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 Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.