Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Desamparados

For one person, living is cheaper in Desamparados: $1,689 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Desamparados

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,689 in Desamparados, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Desamparados $1,689

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,670 in Desamparados, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Desamparados $2,670

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,651 in Desamparados, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Desamparados $3,651

Montreal costs about 19% more than Desamparados, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Desamparados sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Desamparados by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$12.26 ₡5,498

53.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$52.4 ₡23.5K

34.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.82 ₡5,303

-9.81%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.69 ₡2,101

-18.12%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.39 ₡1,072

-19.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.98 ₡889

-22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.60 ₡1,617

73.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.68 ₡2,097

51.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.42 ₡1,087

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.71 ₡1,217

15.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.13 ₡954

50.70%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.88 ₡1,740

-9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$12.07 ₡5,412

6.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$10.56 ₡4,736

8.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$14.00 ₡6,279

-4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.90 ₡2,200

-35.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.75 ₡785

-17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.61 ₡1,617

-3.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.24 ₡1,454

-5.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.49 ₡1,564

-45.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.33 ₡1,493

-46.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.05 ₡469

122.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.86 ₡1,283

-45.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.63 ₡2,524

102.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$15.39 ₡6,903

-30.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.26 ₡1,015

0.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.84 ₡1,273

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.32 ₡594

101.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.25 ₡1,008

42.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.76 ₡788

-15.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$7.44 ₡3,337

341.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.54 ₡692

-12.99%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.5K ₡9.6M

30.96%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$30.9K ₡13.9M

-36.49%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$97.5 ₡43.7K

-22.11%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$34.11 ₡15.3K

-0.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$56.3 ₡25.2K

-24.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$69.1 ₡31.0K

-56.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.96 ₡3,571

40.08%

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

$507 CA$717

$919 ₡412.2K

-44.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$14.9K ₡6.7M

8.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$76.9 ₡34.5K

-25.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-38.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$133 ₡59.5K

-30.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$121 ₡54.4K

-9.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$854 ₡383.1K

47.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$613 ₡275.0K

54.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,068 ₡927.3K

3.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,243 ₡557.3K

29.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

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 Desamparados: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Desamparados

$613 36.3% 35.3% $334

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Desamparados

$375 22.2% 8.4% $29

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Desamparados

$235 13.9% 18.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Desamparados

$188 11.1% 23.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Desamparados

$176 10.4% 32.1% $43

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Desamparados

$16 * 1% 83.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Desamparados

$85 5% 63.3% $33

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 $854 in Desamparados. 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 $52.0 in Desamparados. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $375 in Desamparados – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

08:36 8:36 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

38,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 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 Desamparados 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Desamparados

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 Desamparados: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,018 in Montreal, $1,689 in Desamparados – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $2,533 in Desamparados. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $52.0 in Desamparados. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Desamparados, where all-in costs run around $1,689, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Desamparados it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,689 in Desamparados to $2,018 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Desamparados. 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.