Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and La Merced

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in La Merced

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $565 in La Merced, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
La Merced $565

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $917 in La Merced, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
La Merced $917

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,269 in La Merced, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
La Merced $1,269

Montreal costs about 257% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while La Merced is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$4.38 PEN 15.04

329.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$34.69 PEN 119

102.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$6.77 PEN 23.26

57.46%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.16 PEN 10.84

21.52%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.07 PEN 3.67

79.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.64 PEN 2.20

140.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.60 PEN 8.93

139.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.33 PEN 14.87

63.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.63 PEN 5.60

41.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.98 PEN 6.79

58.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.28 PEN 4.40

150.78%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.34 PEN 8.04

50.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$7.09 PEN 24.34

80.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$5.88 PEN 20.21

94.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$8.65 PEN 29.69

54.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.01 PEN 3.45

210.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.46 PEN 1.58

213.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$0.28 PEN 0.95

1139.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$0.75 PEN 2.57

309.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.30 PEN 1.05

533.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.42 PEN 1.45

321.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.61 PEN 2.08

283.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.91 PEN 3.14

70.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.61 PEN 19.25

102.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$7.36 PEN 25.26

44.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.87 PEN 6.43

21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.23 PEN 11.10

-12.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.82 PEN 13.12

-16.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$2.08 PEN 7.14

-28.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$7.40 PEN 25.41

344.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.74 PEN 5.97

-22.99%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

27.25%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

-22.98%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$72.8 PEN 250

4.28%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$16.49 PEN 56.6

105.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$27.80 PEN 95.5

52.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.34 PEN 25.22

51.91%

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

$507 CA$717

$181 PEN 622

179.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$52.6 PEN 181

9.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$35.20 PEN 121

6.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$82.0 PEN 282

12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$79.1 PEN 272

38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

8.94

-49.89%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

La Merced

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

La Merced

$186 32.8% 46.5% $161

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

La Merced

$122 21.5% 57.7% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

La Merced

$117 20.7% 23.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

La Merced

$112 19.8% 16.1% $21

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

La Merced

$14 * 2.5% 85.6% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

La Merced

$15 * 2.6% 71.8% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $35.00 in La Merced. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $186 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇪 La Merced

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

16:45 4:45 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

8,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal La Merced 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
La Merced

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 La Merced: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 257% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $848 in La Merced. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $565 in La Merced. That's a gap of about 257%.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Montreal and $181 in La Merced. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Montreal at $2,018. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Merced costs $565 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 La Merced. 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.