Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartago: $1,281 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cartago

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,281 in Cartago, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Cartago $1,281

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,972 in Cartago, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Cartago $1,972

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,663 in Cartago, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Cartago $2,663

Montreal costs about 58% more than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Cartago is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.75

$7.58 COP 24.1K

148.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$37.20 COP 118.3K

88.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$8.47 COP 26.9K

25.86%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$1.54 COP 4,884

149.35%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.28 COP 4,063

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$0.83 COP 2,634

85.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$3.10 COP 9,869

100.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$3.66 COP 11.7K

93.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.60 COP 5,088

44.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$1.88 COP 5,973

67.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.49 COP 4,751

115.44%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$2.93 COP 9,334

20.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.21

$6.58 COP 20.9K

94.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.29

$7.11 COP 22.6K

61.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$9.93 COP 31.6K

34.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$3.57 COP 11.4K

-12.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.32 COP 4,200

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$1.74 COP 5,530

99.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.63 COP 5,184

88.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.42 COP 4,522

33.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.50 COP 4,758

18.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.08 COP 3,443

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$1.03 COP 3,261

50.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.17

$3.69 COP 11.7K

208.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$13.12 COP 41.7K

-18.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.50 COP 4,756

51.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.45 COP 7,794

15.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.02 COP 3,244

160.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$0.79 COP 2,524

305.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$2.27 COP 7,230

-34.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.73

$8.40 COP 26.7K

291.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.32 COP 4,211

1.52%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$28.0K COP 89.1M

0.44%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$34.6K COP 110.2M

-43.34%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$110 COP 349.3K

-30.84%

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

$33.95 CA$48.26

$13.23 COP 42.1K

156.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$30.26 COP 96.2K

39.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.29

$42.32 COP 134.6K

-29.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.85

$8.24 COP 26.2K

35.32%

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

$507 CA$721

$701 COP 2.2M

-27.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$6,430 COP 20.5M

149.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$77.8 COP 247.3K

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$55.1 COP 175.4K

-31.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$127 COP 403.0K

-27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$111 COP 351.7K

-0.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$645 COP 2.1M

95.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$509 COP 1.6M

86.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,037

$1,041 COP 3.3M

105.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,293

$970 COP 3.1M

66.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

$1,999 COP 6.4M

148.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

$1,803 COP 5.7M

112.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.58

-61.31%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Cartago

$509 39.7% 46.3% $439

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Cartago

$241 18.8% 30.5% $106

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Cartago

$136 10.6% 52.9% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Cartago

$153 12% 0.7% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Cartago

$167 13% 24.8% $33

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Cartago

$16 * 1.3% 83.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Cartago

$59 4.6% 12.9% $6.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $645 in Cartago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $37.00 in Cartago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $241 – making Cartago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇴 Cartago

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

135,365

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cartago 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cartago

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 Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,921 in Cartago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartago, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $1,281 in Cartago. That's a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Montreal and $701 in Cartago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cartago, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Cartago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cartago – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Cartago. 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.