Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Esmeraldas

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Esmeraldas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $789 in Esmeraldas.

Montreal $2,018
Esmeraldas $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,359 in Esmeraldas.

Montreal $3,085
Esmeraldas $1,359

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $1,929 in Esmeraldas.

Montreal $4,152
Esmeraldas $1,929

Living in Montreal is roughly 156% more expensive than in Esmeraldas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Esmeraldas is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$3.05 $3.05

517.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$53.6 $53.6

31.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$3.96 $3.96

169.19%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.30 $3.30

16.36%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$0.52 $0.52

269.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.49 $0.49

214.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.53 $3.53

76.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.87 $5.87

20.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.02 $1.02

126.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.55 $1.55

102.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.51 $1.51

112.58%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.18 $2.18

61.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$6.38 $6.38

100.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$5.75 $5.75

99.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$7.94 $7.94

68.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.28 $2.28

37.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.19 $1.19

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.32 $1.32

162.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.08 $1.08

184.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.25 $1.25

52.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.02 $1.02

73.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.48 $0.48

387.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.06 $1.06

46.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.85 $5.85

94.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$9.89 $9.89

7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.53 $1.53

48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.20 $3.20

-11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.35 $0.35

660.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$15.82 $15.82

388.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.54 $1.54

107.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.22 $1.22

21.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$9.81 $9.81

235.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$0.87 $0.87

54.02%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.1K $21.1K

33.64%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$28.2K $28.2K

-30.28%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$28.51 $28.51

166.43%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$17.81 $17.81

90.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$28.81 $28.81

46.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$30.46 $30.46

-2.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$16.98 $16.98

19.43%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.53 $6.53

70.75%

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

$507 CA$717

$228 $228

122.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,109 $9,109

76.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$69.9 $69.9

-17.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$49.87 $49.87

-24.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$117 $117

-21.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$107 $107

2.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$297 $297

323.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$186 $186

410.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$622 $622

243.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$416 $416

287.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,353 $1,353

266.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$706 $706

443.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$451 $451

527.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.12

-55.73%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5% 80.4% $762

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8% 43.5% $151

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9% 62% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5% 50.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6% 15.7% $21

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2% 74.8% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5% 16.4% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $297 in Esmeraldas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 527% 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 $54.0 in Esmeraldas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $196 per month, with Esmeraldas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

01:57 1:57 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

95,216

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Esmeraldas 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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Esmeraldas

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 Esmeraldas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 156% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 527% 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 $297 in Esmeraldas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.