Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Monteria

For one person, living is cheaper in Monteria: $1,227 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Monteria
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Monteria Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monteria

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Monteria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,227 in Monteria.

Montreal $2,018
Monteria $1,227

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,997 in Monteria.

Montreal $3,085
Monteria $1,997

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,767 in Monteria.

Montreal $4,152
Monteria $2,767

Living in Montreal is roughly 64% more expensive than in Monteria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Monteria is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.75

$5.73 COP 18.2K

228.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$41.91 COP 133.3K

67.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$10.31 COP 32.8K

3.39%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$2.57 COP 8,178

49.42%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$2.57 COP 8,188

-25.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$2.27 COP 7,209

-32.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$3.29 COP 10.5K

89.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$5.16 COP 16.4K

37.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.90 COP 6,052

21.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$2.78 COP 8,857

12.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.43 COP 4,537

124.48%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$4.83 COP 15.4K

-27.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.21

$7.98 COP 25.4K

60.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.29

$9.46 COP 30.1K

21.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$13.49 COP 42.9K

-0.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$3.16 COP 10.1K

-0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.24 COP 3,951

16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$2.07 COP 6,580

67.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.81 COP 5,751

69.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.68 COP 5,332

13.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.58 COP 5,020

12.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.22 COP 3,887

91.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$1.16 COP 3,698

33.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.17

$4.07 COP 12.9K

179.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$14.66 COP 46.6K

-27.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.46 COP 4,630

55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.34 COP 7,443

20.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.19 COP 3,777

123.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$1.57 COP 5,006

103.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-59.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.73

$9.57 COP 30.4K

243.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.30 COP 4,132

3.08%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$23.5K COP 74.8M

19.66%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$34.4K COP 109.3M

-42.90%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$78.0 COP 248.1K

-2.62%

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

$33.95 CA$48.26

$14.49 COP 46.1K

134.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$25.19 COP 80.1K

67.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.29

$43.38 COP 138.0K

-31.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.85

$8.24 COP 26.2K

35.32%

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

$507 CA$721

$618 COP 2.0M

-17.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$5,835 COP 18.6M

175.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$75.5 COP 240.1K

-23.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$55.4 COP 176.2K

-32.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$132 COP 420.5K

-30.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$109 COP 345.9K

0.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$736 COP 2.3M

71.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$411 COP 1.3M

130.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,037

$1,022 COP 3.3M

109.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,293

$913 COP 2.9M

76.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

$2,174 COP 6.9M

128.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

$1,691 COP 5.4M

126.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-70.13%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monteria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Monteria

$411 33.5% 56.6% $537

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Monteria

$293 23.8% 15.6% $54

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Monteria

$154 12.5% 46.6% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Monteria

$118 9.6% 22.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Monteria

$167 13.6% 25.4% $34

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Monteria

$25 * 2% 74.9% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Monteria

$60 4.9% 15% $7.8

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 $1,260 in Montreal and $736 in Monteria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $42.00 in Monteria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $293 per month, with Monteria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇴 Monteria

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

454,032

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,562 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Monteria 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Monteria

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 Monteria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monteria wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Monteria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,027 in Montreal and $1,840 in Monteria 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $736 in Monteria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $618 in Monteria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Monteria – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,227 in Monteria versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Monteria but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Monteria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Monteria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,227 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Monteria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Monteria 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 Monteria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.