Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and El Calafate

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in El Calafate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $961 in El Calafate.

Montreal $2,018
El Calafate $961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,574 in El Calafate.

Montreal $3,085
El Calafate $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,187 in El Calafate.

Montreal $4,152
El Calafate $2,187

Living in Montreal is roughly 110% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, El Calafate is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

76.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

107.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

20.45%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.77 ARS 4,198

38.63%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.64 ARS 2,484

17.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.49 ARS 2,268

3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.08 ARS 3,157

199.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.93 ARS 4,452

142.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.24 ARS 1,887

86.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.61 ARS 2,446

95.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.93 ARS 2,930

66.32%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.20 ARS 3,346

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

24.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$6.07 ARS 9,209

88.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

40.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.95 ARS 2,963

61.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.11 ARS 3,205

-31.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.33 ARS 2,015

160.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.62 ARS 3,973

17.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.19 ARS 1,808

59.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.20 ARS 1,821

47.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.30 ARS 1,973

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.48 ARS 2,245

4.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$3.16 ARS 4,800

260.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$4.97 ARS 7,536

113.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.06 ARS 3,133

10.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.16 ARS 4,799

-10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.76 ARS 1,159

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.51 ARS 2,293

111.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.87 ARS 1,322

70.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$5.89 ARS 8,934

458.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.05 ARS 1,600

27.62%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

2.62%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

-35.06%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

14.24%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

101.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

88.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

11.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

49.89%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.34 ARS 9,617

75.87%

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

$507 CA$717

$224 ARS 340.0K

126.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

499.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

-20.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

-46.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$114 ARS 173.7K

-19.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$114 ARS 172.2K

-3.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$342 ARS 518.6K

268.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$235 ARS 357.2K

302.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$695 ARS 1.1M

207.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$533 ARS 809.3K

202.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

166.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

139.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

58.5

-92.34%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

El Calafate

$235 24.5% 75.2% $712

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

El Calafate

$231 24% 33.3% $115

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

El Calafate

$174 18.1% 39.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

El Calafate

$106 11% 30.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

El Calafate

$167 17.4% 25.2% $34

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9% 90.9% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

El Calafate

$39 4.1% 24.5% $13

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 $342 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $34.00 in El Calafate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $231 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

22,844

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal El Calafate 10,660 km ≈ 14 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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and El Calafate differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $961 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,027 in Montreal and $1,442 in El Calafate to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $342 in El Calafate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $224 in El Calafate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montreal and El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.