Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Guanacaste

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
Learn more

Guanacaste Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Guanacaste

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Guanacaste $1,548

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,428 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Guanacaste $2,428

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,309 in Guanacaste, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Guanacaste $3,309

Montreal costs about 30% more than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Guanacaste sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Guanacaste by 15%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.75

$10.82 ₡4,860

73.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$48.68 ₡21.9K

44.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$11.68 ₡5,248

-8.73%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$4.53 ₡2,036

-15.23%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$2.75 ₡1,236

-30.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.94 ₡872

-20.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$3.16 ₡1,420

97.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$4.54 ₡2,041

56.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.00 ₡897

15.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$3.04 ₡1,366

3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$2.43 ₡1,092

32.10%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$3.54 ₡1,591

-0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.21

$5.44 ₡2,442

135.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.29

$4.47 ₡2,006

156.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$10.84 ₡4,870

23.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$2.56 ₡1,149

22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.64 ₡737

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$4.51 ₡2,026

-23.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.56 ₡699

96.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$3.90 ₡1,753

-51.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$2.23 ₡1,004

-20.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$0.85 ₡384

175.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$3.09 ₡1,389

-49.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.17

$4.42 ₡1,988

157.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$20.31 ₡9,125

-47.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$2.90 ₡1,302

-21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.66 ₡1,193

6.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.30 ₡583

104.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$2.45 ₡1,102

30.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.55 ₡698

-4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.73

$8.80 ₡3,952

273.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.55 ₡696

-13.55%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

28.98%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$35.4K ₡15.9M

-44.61%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$96.5 ₡43.4K

-21.27%

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

$33.95 CA$48.26

$36.34 ₡16.3K

-6.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$32.76 ₡14.7K

29.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.29

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-58.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.85

$7.57 ₡3,401

47.29%

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

$507 CA$721

$974 ₡437.5K

-47.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-7.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$65.6 ₡29.5K

-12.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$43.46 ₡19.5K

-13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$88.9 ₡39.9K

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$76.9 ₡34.5K

42.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$812 ₡364.9K

55.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$625 ₡280.9K

51.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,037

$1,920 ₡862.8K

11.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,293

$1,264 ₡568.2K

27.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

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 Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Guanacaste

$625 40.4% 34% $322

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Guanacaste

$311 20.1% 10.3% $36

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Guanacaste

$220 14.2% 23.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Guanacaste

$166 10.7% 8.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Guanacaste

$124 8% 7.3% $9.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Guanacaste

$15 * 1% 84.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Guanacaste

$87 5.6% 67.5% $35

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 $812 in Guanacaste. 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 $49.00 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $311 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

05:58 5:58 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,823

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Guanacaste 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Guanacaste

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 Guanacaste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $2,321 in Guanacaste. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $1,548 in Guanacaste. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Montreal and $974 in Guanacaste. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Guanacaste. 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.