Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Montreal $2,003
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Montreal $3,048
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Montreal $4,092
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Montreal is roughly 19% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

3.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

17.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-17.47%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-1.26%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-6.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-4.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.84 ARS 5,830

64.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.60 ARS 6,970

56.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.44 ARS 2,181

54.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.46 ARS 3,738

24.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.63 ARS 2,467

80.37%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.89 ARS 4,385

22.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

23.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

12.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

0.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.75 ARS 4,166

23.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-33.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.45 ARS 2,205

124.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.99 ARS 3,013

44.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.24 ARS 1,885

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.27 ARS 1,921

43.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.70 ARS 2,575

42.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-12.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$4.18 ARS 6,337

173.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$5.80 ARS 8,790

78.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.09 ARS 3,163

6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.77 ARS 4,198

1.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.75 ARS 1,132

244.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

183.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.62 ARS 2,451

100.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.98 ARS 1,481

51.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

327.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.36 ARS 2,058

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-2.08%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-42.15%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$216 ARS 326.9K

-64.69%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

35.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

36.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-41.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

19.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

7.48%

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

$505 CA$720

$466 ARS 706.7K

8.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

76.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$122 ARS 185.2K

-52.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-61.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$117 ARS 177.4K

-20.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$140 ARS 211.9K

-24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$763 ARS 1.2M

62.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$505 ARS 766.1K

95.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

31.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

36.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

88.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

106.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$954 ARS 1.4M

205.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

57.25

-92.21%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 48.8% $481

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 17.3% $60

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 4.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 77.6% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 61.4% $82

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 62.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 37.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 206% 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: $75.0 in Montreal vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Buenos Aires 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Montreal vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Buenos Aires differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 206% 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: $1,240 in Montreal versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $505 in Montreal versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires 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 Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.