Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Neuquen

For one person, living is cheaper in Neuquen: $1,237 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Neuquen
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Neuquen Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Neuquen

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Neuquen

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,237 in Neuquen, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Neuquen $1,237

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,072 in Neuquen, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Neuquen $2,072

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,907 in Neuquen, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Neuquen $2,907

Montreal costs about 63% more than Neuquen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Neuquen is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$16.16 ARS 24.5K

16.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$61.7 ARS 93.6K

13.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

-21.21%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.72 ARS 5,646

3.23%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.93 ARS 2,927

-0.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.80 ARS 2,733

-14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$4.21 ARS 6,383

47.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.49 ARS 5,289

103.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.48 ARS 2,244

56.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.50 ARS 3,796

25.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.82 ARS 2,762

76.37%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.40 ARS 3,648

46.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.69 ARS 14.7K

32.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$8.22 ARS 12.5K

39.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$11.14 ARS 16.9K

20.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.49 ARS 3,783

26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.34 ARS 3,546

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.73 ARS 2,622

100.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.92 ARS 4,434

5.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.19 ARS 1,804

59.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.95 ARS 1,438

86.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.54 ARS 2,330

0.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$3.37 ARS 5,109

237.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$4.33 ARS 6,568

145.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.08 ARS 3,158

9.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.94 ARS 4,458

-4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.91 ARS 1,383

192.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.30 ARS 1,979

146.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.37 ARS 2,085

-2.19%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.1K ARS 36.5M

16.92%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$35.3K ARS 53.6M

-44.40%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$141 ARS 213.8K

-46.09%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$16.56 ARS 25.1K

105.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$26.26 ARS 39.8K

61.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$28.80 ARS 43.7K

3.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$8.43 ARS 12.8K

32.27%

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

$507 CA$717

$248 ARS 376.8K

104.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$92.1 ARS 139.8K

-37.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$109 ARS 165.8K

-15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$155 ARS 234.5K

-29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$509 ARS 772.2K

147.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$328 ARS 497.2K

189.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$981 ARS 1.5M

117.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$824 ARS 1.3M

95.87%

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

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Neuquen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Neuquen

$328 26.5% 65.4% $620

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Neuquen

$257 * 20.8% 25.8% $89

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Neuquen

$257 20.8% 10.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Neuquen

$184 14.9% 20.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Neuquen

$160 * 13% 20% $27

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Neuquen

$5 * 0.4% 95% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Neuquen

$46 3.7% 12.3% $6.4

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 $509 in Neuquen. 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 $62.0 in Neuquen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $257 – making Neuquen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 Neuquen

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

288,896

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Neuquen 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Neuquen

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 Neuquen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 63% more than Neuquen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,855 in Neuquen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $62.0 in Neuquen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Neuquen, where all-in costs run around $1,237, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Neuquen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Neuquen costs $1,237 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 Neuquen. 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.