Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $688 in Cusco.

Montreal $2,003
Cusco $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,096 in Cusco.

Montreal $3,048
Cusco $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $1,505 in Cusco.

Montreal $4,092
Cusco $1,505

Living in Montreal is roughly 191% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Cusco is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$1.99 PEN 6.85

870.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$20.55 PEN 70.7

267.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$6.70 PEN 23.04

58.66%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$2.11 PEN 7.24

86.26%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$0.78 PEN 2.69

146.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.33 PEN 1.13

348.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$1.72 PEN 5.92

266.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$4.33 PEN 14.90

66.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.24 PEN 4.27

79.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$2.32 PEN 7.97

31.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$1.29 PEN 4.43

127.91%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$3.63 PEN 12.48

-2.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$4.69 PEN 16.14

181.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$4.43 PEN 15.24

153.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$7.37 PEN 25.35

87.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$2.55 PEN 8.78

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$0.77 PEN 2.63

87.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$1.47 PEN 5.04

121.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$0.85 PEN 2.94

238.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$1.02 PEN 3.52

82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.10 PEN 3.80

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$0.49 PEN 1.67

395.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.75 PEN 2.58

102.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$5.93 PEN 20.41

74.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.85 PEN 6.38

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$4.12 PEN 14.16

-31.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$0.30 PEN 1.04

760.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$1.72 PEN 5.91

88.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.93 PEN 6.65

-23.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$2.82 PEN 9.69

1071.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.57 PEN 5.42

-13.38%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

-30.96%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$29.31 PEN 101

159.71%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$14.31 PEN 49.22

142.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$44.13 PEN 152

-3.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$28.51 PEN 98.1

1.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$4.26 PEN 14.64

163.15%

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

$505 CA$718

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$37.39 PEN 129

56.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$33.43 PEN 115

13.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$54.4 PEN 187

70.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$72.2 PEN 248

46.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$218 PEN 748

469.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$191 PEN 657

416.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$538 PEN 1,849

291.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$416 PEN 1,431

288.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

55.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$1,823 PEN 6,270

110.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$433 PEN 1,490

574.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 80.6% $795

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 45.7% $157

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 71.7% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 42.8% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 33.1% $44

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 87.1% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 27.9% $14

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 $1,240 in Montreal and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 574% 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 $21.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

428,450

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cusco 6,560 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 191% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 574% 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 $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco 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 Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 191% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.