Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Fajardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,245 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Fajardo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Montreal versus $1,245 in Fajardo.

Montreal $2,067
Fajardo $1,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,179 in Montreal versus $1,955 in Fajardo.

Montreal $3,179
Fajardo $1,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,291 in Montreal versus $2,665 in Fajardo.

Montreal $4,291
Fajardo $2,665

Living in Montreal is roughly 66% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 53% above, Fajardo is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.57

$9.94 $9.94

90.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$80.5 $80.5

-9.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.18

$9.17 $9.17

17.67%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.60

$3.58 $3.58

11.17%

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

$2.02 CA$2.84

$1.84 $1.84

9.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$1.46 $1.46

11.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.89

$2.94 $2.94

114.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.93

$5.12 $5.12

37.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.28

$2.14 $2.14

8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.57

$3.56 $3.56

-8.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.59

$2.45 $2.45

33.06%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.89

$7.37 $7.37

-52.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.31

$12.69 $12.69

8.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.14

$9.92 $9.92

15.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$20.05

$13.15 $13.15

8.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.95

$4.93 $4.93

-28.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$2.53 $2.53

-42.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.80

$4.97 $4.97

-31.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.50

$4.95 $4.95

-35.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.72

$3.69 $3.69

-47.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$3.94 $3.94

-54.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.54

$3.48 $3.48

-27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.64 $1.64

-3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.18

$11.70 $11.70

-1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.87

$15.85 $15.85

-33.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.30

$2.98 $2.98

-21.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.07

$4.08 $4.08

-28.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.46

$2.56 $2.56

23.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.10

$1.46 $1.46

2.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$47.10

$41.78 $41.78

-19.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.23 $1.23

10.57%

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

$28.0K CA$39.4K

$35.1K $35.1K

-20.08%

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

$21.1K CA$29.7K

$28.3K $28.3K

-25.26%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$319 $319

-75.64%

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

$35.63 CA$50.1

$69.2 $69.2

-48.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.5

$69.4 $69.4

-37.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.29

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$28.08

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.85

$10.67 $10.67

5.62%

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

$522 CA$734

$808 $808

-35.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$25.0K

$12.3K $12.3K

44.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.9

$55.1 $55.1

6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.9

$61.3 $61.3

-36.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$109 $109

-8.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$115 $115

-4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,826

$983 $983

32.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,365

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,267

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,376

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,037

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,255

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,139

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.55

-31.15%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Fajardo

$415 33.4% 16.2% $58

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Fajardo

$188 15.1% 35.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Fajardo

$457 36.7% 191% $300

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Fajardo

$153 12.3% 10.7% $15

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Fajardo

$9.9 * 0.8% 90.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 59.4% $31

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 $1,298 in Montreal and $983 in Fajardo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $80 in Fajardo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $415 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

09:21 9:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

11,647

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Fajardo 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Fajardo

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 Fajardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,100 in Montreal and $1,867 in Fajardo 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: $1,298 in Montreal versus $983 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Montreal pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,067 per month in Montreal versus $1,245 in Fajardo – Fajardo is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Fajardo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.