Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Masaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $824 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
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Masaya Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Masaya

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $824 in Masaya, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Masaya $824

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,287 in Masaya, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Masaya $1,287

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,749 in Masaya, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Masaya $1,749

Montreal costs about 145% more than Masaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Masaya is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$10.03 NIO 367

87.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$34.86 NIO 1,277

101.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.83 NIO 287

36.14%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.55 NIO 93.6

50.59%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$0.91 NIO 33.39

110.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.70 NIO 25.47

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.46 NIO 53.5

326.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.24 NIO 81.9

216.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.27 NIO 46.37

81.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.33 NIO 85.4

34.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.86 NIO 68.2

72.58%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.38 NIO 87.2

47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$11.41 NIO 418

12.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$6.49 NIO 238

76.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$7.57 NIO 277

76.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.93 NIO 144

-20.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.61 NIO 22.40

136.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.84 NIO 67.3

88.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.53 NIO 92.6

21.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$4.04 NIO 148

-52.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.27 NIO 83.3

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.06 NIO 38.71

120.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.01 NIO 37.06

53.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.80 NIO 103

306.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$14.46 NIO 530

-26.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.47 NIO 53.9

54.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.23 NIO 81.8

26.46%

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

$1.67 NIO 61.2

91.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.62 NIO 59.2

-8.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$6.92 NIO 254

375.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.31 NIO 47.98

2.29%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.3K NIO 855.0K

20.60%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$26.8K NIO 980.3K

-26.66%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$154 NIO 5,651

-50.77%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$19.49 NIO 714

74.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$32.65 NIO 1,196

29.59%

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

$8.99 NIO 329

24.03%

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

$507 CA$717

$232 NIO 8,481

118.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$5,944 NIO 217.7K

170.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$59.8 NIO 2,189

-3.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$64.6 NIO 2,364

-41.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$124 NIO 4,553

-26.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$147 NIO 5,367

-25.22%

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

11.92

-62.42%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Masaya: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Masaya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Masaya

$259 31.5% 25.1% $87

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Masaya

$153 18.5% 47% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Masaya

$206 25.1% 35.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Masaya

$178 21.6% 33.2% $44

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Masaya

$9.8 * 1.2% 90.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Masaya

$18 * 2.2% 65.5% $34

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 Masaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $259 – making Masaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇳🇮 Masaya

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

18:53 6:53 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

178,835

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NIO, 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).

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 41.17 NIO (100 NIO = 2.43 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Masaya 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Masaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,236 in Masaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $35.00 in Masaya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $824, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Masaya – 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 Masaya. 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.