Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,735 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,735

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Montreal is 3% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 15.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Montreal is 5.1% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 11.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$11.78 ₡5,312

63.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$55.5 ₡25.0K

35.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$10.72 ₡4,831

-0.84%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$4.49 ₡2,023

-12.47%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.33 ₡1,051

-17.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.81 ₡815

-18.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.23 ₡1,455

95.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.42 ₡1,992

62.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$2.30 ₡1,037

-3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$3.55 ₡1,600

-13.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$2.71 ₡1,221

8.49%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$4.05 ₡1,825

-12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$9.92 ₡4,473

32.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$10.49 ₡4,729

7.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$13.56 ₡6,111

1.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$5.13 ₡2,312

-33.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.68 ₡758

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$3.63 ₡1,639

-10.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$3.24 ₡1,463

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$3.40 ₡1,534

-45.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$3.09 ₡1,394

-41.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.11 ₡501

118.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$2.64 ₡1,192

-42.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$5.43 ₡2,446

110.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$15.63 ₡7,048

-33.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.75 ₡1,238

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.27 ₡1,472

-13.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.07 ₡480

141.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$65.3 ₡29.4K

17.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.18 ₡981

49.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.03 ₡916

-27.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$8.82 ₡3,977

274.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.53 ₡688

-11.11%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$32.8K ₡14.8M

-16.32%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$36.0K ₡16.2M

-44.47%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$93.4 ₡42.1K

-18.50%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$30.19 ₡13.6K

14.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$57.1 ₡25.7K

-25.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-55.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$22.13 ₡9,976

-8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$8.09 ₡3,645

38.57%

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

$505 CA$720

$740 ₡333.8K

-31.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$12.6K ₡5.7M

27.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$54.6 ₡24.6K

-30.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$127 ₡57.4K

-27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$107 ₡48.3K

-1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$833 ₡375.3K

48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$641 ₡289.1K

53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,776 ₡800.8K

18.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,191 ₡536.9K

35.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,437 ₡1.1M

106.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,631 ₡735.2K

134.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$1,033 ₡465.8K

182.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

9.56

-53.35%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Costa Rica

$641 36.7% 34.9% $345

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Costa Rica

$379 21.7% 10.3% $35

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Costa Rica

$222 12.7% 24.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Costa Rica

$181 10.3% 17.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Costa Rica

$164 9.4% 23.6% $31

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.7% 16.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Costa Rica

$81 4.6% 58.2% $30

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Costa Rica 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Costa Rica

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

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