Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Curridabat

For one person, living is cheaper in Curridabat: $1,739 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Curridabat
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Curridabat Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Curridabat

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Curridabat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,739 in Curridabat.

Montreal $2,018
Curridabat $1,739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,732 in Curridabat.

Montreal $3,085
Curridabat $2,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,724 in Curridabat.

Montreal $4,152
Curridabat $3,724

Living in Montreal is roughly 16% more expensive than in Curridabat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Curridabat 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.74

$10.77 ₡4,839

74.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$55.6 ₡25.0K

26.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$10.04 ₡4,510

6.18%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$4.49 ₡2,016

-14.48%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.96 ₡881

-2.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.34 ₡603

14.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$3.33 ₡1,498

87.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$3.04 ₡1,364

133.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.38 ₡1,071

-2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$3.12 ₡1,401

0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.56

$2.41 ₡1,082

33.20%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$3.51 ₡1,579

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.20

$10.51 ₡4,725

21.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.28

$10.28 ₡4,621

11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.02

$13.96 ₡6,273

-4.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.45

$5.05 ₡2,271

-37.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.62 ₡730

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.93

$4.66 ₡2,095

-25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$3.81 ₡1,712

-19.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$3.86 ₡1,734

-50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$3.57 ₡1,605

-50.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.11 ₡501

110.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$3.18 ₡1,429

-51.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.16

$6.00 ₡2,698

89.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.10

$20.29 ₡9,119

-47.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$2.86 ₡1,287

-20.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$3.60 ₡1,617

-21.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.45 ₡651

83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$2.37 ₡1,065

35.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.62 ₡728

-8.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.71

$8.69 ₡3,904

278.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.54 ₡693

-12.99%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$21.9K ₡9.8M

28.72%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$35.4K ₡15.9M

-44.53%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$96.2 ₡43.2K

-21.01%

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

$33.95 CA$48.24

$35.78 ₡16.1K

-5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$60.4 ₡27.1K

-29.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.27

$67.9 ₡30.5K

-56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.81

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.84

$7.49 ₡3,366

48.87%

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

$507 CA$720

$998 ₡448.6K

-49.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-7.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$72.8 ₡32.7K

-20.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-31.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$128 ₡57.7K

-28.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$133 ₡59.9K

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,791

$815 ₡366.4K

54.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,346

$666 ₡299.5K

42.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,036

$1,891 ₡849.9K

12.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,292

$1,315 ₡590.9K

22.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,046

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,452

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,017

$506 ₡227.3K

458.90%

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 Curridabat: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Curridabat

$666 38.3% 29.7% $281

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Curridabat

$400 23% 15.4% $53

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Curridabat

$206 11.9% 28.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Curridabat

$192 11.1% 26.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Curridabat

$175 10.1% 31.3% $42

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Curridabat

$16 * 0.9% 83.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Curridabat

$83 4.8% 59.2% $31

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 $815 in Curridabat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 459% 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 $56.0 in Curridabat. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $400, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Curridabat

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

33,000

💱 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 = 1.98 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 16, 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 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 Curridabat 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Curridabat

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 Curridabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curridabat is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 459% 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 $815 in Curridabat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $998 in Curridabat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Curridabat – a meal for two runs $56.0 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,739 in Curridabat versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Curridabat but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Curridabat the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Curridabat is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Curridabat 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 Curridabat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.