Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Paso de los Libres

For one person, living is cheaper in Paso de los Libres: $1,164 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Paso de los Libres
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Paso de los Libres Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Paso de los Libres

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Paso de los Libres

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 Paso de los Libres actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,164 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Paso de los Libres $1,164

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,891 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Paso de los Libres $1,891

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,618 in Paso de los Libres, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Paso de los Libres $2,618

Montreal costs about 72% more than Paso de los Libres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Paso de los Libres is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$15.24 ARS 23.1K

26.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$56.4 ARS 85.4K

33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$12.96 ARS 19.6K

-17.98%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$3.73 ARS 5,653

5.36%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.31 ARS 3,503

-16.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.79 ARS 2,719

-17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.90 ARS 5,920

61.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.04 ARS 6,129

77.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.33 ARS 2,022

66.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.21 ARS 3,354

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.88 ARS 2,858

56.38%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.57 ARS 3,891

37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$10.45 ARS 15.9K

26.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$7.24 ARS 11.0K

55.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$11.90 ARS 18.1K

16.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.46 ARS 3,735

38.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$2.23 ARS 3,385

-35.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.47 ARS 2,223

121.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$2.52 ARS 3,823

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.15 ARS 1,749

58.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$3.45 ARS 5,230

231.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$5.09 ARS 7,722

103.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.04 ARS 1,581

148.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.63 ARS 2,471

99.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.22 ARS 1,854

11.48%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

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

$76.1 CA$109

$109 ARS 164.7K

-29.90%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$17.50 ARS 26.5K

98.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$28.45 ARS 43.1K

50.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$30.99 ARS 47.0K

-6.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$9.22 ARS 14.0K

21.58%

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

$505 CA$720

$297 ARS 450.9K

69.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$101 ARS 153.0K

-42.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$120 ARS 181.7K

-22.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$133 ARS 201.6K

-20.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$481 ARS 729.9K

157.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$316 ARS 479.7K

211.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$918 ARS 1.4M

128.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$739 ARS 1.1M

118.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Paso de los Libres: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Paso de los Libres

$316 27.6% 67.9% $670

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Paso de los Libres

$213 * 18.6% 38% $130

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Paso de los Libres

$250 21.7% 14.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Paso de los Libres

$155 13.5% 0.7% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Paso de los Libres

$159 * 13.9% 19.9% $26

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Paso de los Libres

$5.8 * 0.5% 94.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Paso de los Libres

$49 4.3% 3.7% $1.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $481 in Paso de los Libres. 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $56.0 in Paso de los Libres. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $213 – making Paso de los Libres the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 Paso de los Libres

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

43,251

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Paso de los Libres 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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 Paso de los Libres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 72% more than Paso de los Libres, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,746 in Paso de los Libres. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paso de los Libres, 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 $75.0 in Montreal and $56.0 in Paso de los Libres. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% 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 Paso de los Libres, where all-in costs run around $1,164, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Paso de los Libres it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Paso de los Libres costs $1,164 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 Paso de los Libres. 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.