Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Liberia

For one person, living is cheaper in Liberia: $1,621 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Liberia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Liberia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,621 in Liberia.

Montreal $2,018
Liberia $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,267 in Liberia.

Montreal $3,085
Liberia $2,267

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,914 in Liberia.

Montreal $4,152
Liberia $2,914

Living in Montreal is roughly 25% more expensive than in Liberia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Liberia 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.75

$10.81 ₡4,858

74.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$37.83 ₡17.0K

85.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$10.88 ₡4,889

-2.02%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$3.54 ₡1,591

8.47%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.99 ₡894

-3.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.61 ₡723

-4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$2.67 ₡1,198

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$4.39 ₡1,974

61.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.43 ₡1,090

-4.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$3.13 ₡1,406

0.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$2.29 ₡1,030

40.17%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$3.42 ₡1,535

2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.21

$7.88 ₡3,539

62.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.29

$7.86 ₡3,534

45.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$12.42 ₡5,580

7.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$5.15 ₡2,315

-39.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.55 ₡698

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$2.52 ₡1,133

37.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$3.24 ₡1,454

-5.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$3.91 ₡1,755

-51.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$2.61 ₡1,171

-32.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.08 ₡484

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$2.15 ₡966

-27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.17

$4.94 ₡2,221

130.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$15.49 ₡6,960

-31.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$2.31 ₡1,036

-1.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$3.55 ₡1,596

-20.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.11 ₡500

139.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

$54.5 ₡24.5K

41.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$2.46 ₡1,105

30.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.56 ₡699

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.73

$8.64 ₡3,882

280.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.57 ₡705

-14.65%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

26.30%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-43.97%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$94.3 ₡42.4K

-19.43%

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

$33.95 CA$48.26

$30.81 ₡13.8K

10.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$39.82 ₡17.9K

6.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.29

$49.26 ₡22.1K

-39.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

$34.92 ₡15.7K

-41.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.85

$7.54 ₡3,389

47.88%

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

$507 CA$721

$1,002 ₡450.1K

-49.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-5.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$66.2 ₡29.7K

-13.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$36.81 ₡16.5K

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$130 ₡58.4K

-29.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$92.6 ₡41.6K

18.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$794 ₡356.8K

58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$641 ₡288.1K

47.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,037

$926 ₡416.0K

130.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,293

$739 ₡331.9K

118.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

$886 ₡398.3K

218.97%

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 Liberia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Liberia

$641 39.6% 32.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Liberia

$337 20.8% 2.8% $9.9

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Liberia

$198 12.2% 31.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Liberia

$165 10.2% 8.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Liberia

$147 9% 9.8% $13

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Liberia

$69 4.3% 29.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Liberia

$64 4% 23.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $794 in Liberia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 219% 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 $38.00 in Liberia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $337 per month, with Liberia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Liberia

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

03:04 3:04 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

46,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Liberia 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Liberia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Liberia wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Liberia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 219% 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 $794 in Liberia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Liberia – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $1,621 in Liberia – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,621 in Liberia versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Liberia but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Liberia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Liberia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,621 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Liberia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Liberia 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 Liberia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.