Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Nosara

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Nosara $3,712

Montreal costs about 9% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Nosara sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$12.22 ₡5,509

58.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$60.2 ₡27.1K

25.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$7.54 ₡3,399

40.98%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$4.31 ₡1,941

-8.82%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.72 ₡773

11.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.35 ₡608

9.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$3.24 ₡1,459

94.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$4.48 ₡2,018

60.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.57 ₡707

41.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$3.17 ₡1,429

-3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$2.42 ₡1,091

21.49%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$3.57 ₡1,609

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$7.43 ₡3,349

77.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$10.42 ₡4,697

7.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$13.66 ₡6,156

1.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$2.32 ₡1,044

46.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.61 ₡728

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$4.74 ₡2,138

-31.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$1.66 ₡747

73.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$3.72 ₡1,679

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$3.57 ₡1,611

-49.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.10 ₡497

120.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$2.55 ₡1,149

-40.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$4.95 ₡2,232

131.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$20.01 ₡9,020

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$2.79 ₡1,256

-20.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$3.53 ₡1,589

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.19 ₡537

116.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

$72.1 ₡32.5K

6.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$2.24 ₡1,011

45.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.55 ₡701

-4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$8.86 ₡3,993

272.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.57 ₡708

-13.38%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

25.79%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-42.32%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-18.54%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-59.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-42.64%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$7.84 ₡3,535

42.98%

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

$505 CA$718

$490 ₡220.7K

3.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

34.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$53.5 ₡24.1K

9.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-31.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$79.3 ₡35.7K

16.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$78.9 ₡35.6K

34.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$786 ₡354.3K

57.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$780 ₡351.6K

26.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-45.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$1,407 ₡634.4K

14.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-27.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$1,201 ₡541.3K

218.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$876 ₡395.0K

233.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

8.62

-48.26%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 20.9% $206

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 1.7% $5.9

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 28.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 17.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 9.3% $12

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 11.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 69.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 233% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Montreal vs $350 in Nosara – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

23:34 11:34 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

4,912

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Nosara 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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Nosara

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 Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 9% more than Nosara, 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 $3,005 per month in Montreal and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $2,003 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 Nosara. 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.