Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Encarnacion

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $838 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Encarnacion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $838 in Encarnacion.

Montreal $2,003
Encarnacion $838

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,272 in Encarnacion.

Montreal $3,048
Encarnacion $1,272

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $1,706 in Encarnacion.

Montreal $4,092
Encarnacion $1,706

Living in Montreal is roughly 139% more expensive than in Encarnacion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Encarnacion is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$4.27 ₲24.2K

352.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$34.51 ₲195.9K

118.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$6.63 ₲37.7K

60.33%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$2.49 ₲14.1K

57.83%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.48 ₲8,399

29.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.51 ₲2,914

190.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$0.96 ₲5,446

556.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$2.03 ₲11.5K

254.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.07 ₲6,064

107.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$0.84 ₲4,768

264.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.79 ₲10.2K

64.25%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$1.58 ₲8,972

123.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$5.38 ₲30.5K

145.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$3.25 ₲18.4K

245.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$5.53 ₲31.4K

149.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.04 ₲11.6K

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$0.78 ₲4,426

84.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$0.94 ₲5,351

246.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.65 ₲9,386

74.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.90 ₲5,104

106.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$0.88 ₲4,977

106.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.56 ₲3,163

333.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.50 ₲2,860

204.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$1.52 ₲8,644

653.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$5.39 ₲30.6K

92.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$0.82 ₲4,629

170.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$1.47 ₲8,345

91.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.47 ₲2,658

448.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$35.08 ₲199.1K

119.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.33 ₲7,575

144.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.71 ₲4,004

108.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$6.72 ₲38.2K

391.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.21 ₲6,864

12.40%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$13.8K ₲78.2M

99.20%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$26.3K ₲149.5M

-24.17%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$44.25 ₲251.2K

72.02%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$13.05 ₲74.0K

165.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$18.56 ₲105.3K

130.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$30.43 ₲172.7K

-4.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$13.15 ₲74.7K

54.60%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$5.92 ₲33.6K

89.36%

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

$505 CA$720

$195 ₲1.1M

158.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$3,335 ₲18.9M

380.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$57.2 ₲324.8K

2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$28.13 ₲159.6K

35.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$67.6 ₲383.9K

37.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$69.0 ₲391.9K

53.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$503 ₲2.9M

146.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$324 ₲1.8M

204.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$658 ₲3.7M

219.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$523 ₲3.0M

209.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,548 ₲8.8M

225.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,403 ₲8.0M

172.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$361 ₲2.0M

709.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

9.5

-53.05%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Encarnacion: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Encarnacion

$324 39.4% 67.1% $662

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Encarnacion

$139 16.9% 59.6% $205

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Encarnacion

$101 12.2% 65.6% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Encarnacion

$76 9.2% 50.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Encarnacion

$100 12.1% 24.7% $33

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Encarnacion

$42 5.1% 57.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Encarnacion

$42 5.1% 17.7% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $503 in Encarnacion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 709% 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 $35.00 in Encarnacion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $139 per month, with Encarnacion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

127,600

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,676 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,361 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montreal Encarnacion 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Encarnacion

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 Encarnacion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Encarnacion differ by about 139% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $838 including rent). Encarnacion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 709% 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 $503 in Encarnacion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,003 per month in Montreal versus $838 in Encarnacion – a 139% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Encarnacion runs roughly 119% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $838 in Encarnacion versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Encarnacion but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Encarnacion 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 Encarnacion 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 Encarnacion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 139% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.