Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Playa Flamingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa Flamingo: $1,673 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Playa Flamingo

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,673 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Playa Flamingo $1,673

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,667 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Playa Flamingo $2,667

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,660 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Playa Flamingo $3,660

Montreal costs about 21% more than Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Playa Flamingo sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Playa Flamingo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$12.07 ₡5,412

55.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$62.4 ₡28.0K

12.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$10.07 ₡4,517

5.86%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.38 ₡1,963

-12.33%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.74 ₡1,230

-29.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.84 ₡824

-16.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.30 ₡1,481

88.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.52 ₡2,027

57.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.02 ₡905

14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.04 ₡1,365

3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.41 ₡1,081

33.20%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.93 ₡1,316

20.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.81 ₡4,847

18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$9.91 ₡4,446

15.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$11.95 ₡5,361

12.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.20 ₡2,331

-39.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.56 ₡701

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.74 ₡2,124

-26.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.90 ₡1,748

-21.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.74 ₡1,678

-52.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.02 ₡458

129.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$3.24 ₡1,452

-52.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$4.99 ₡2,236

128.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$19.90 ₡8,926

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.82 ₡1,263

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.51 ₡1,574

-19.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.25 ₡562

112.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.47 ₡1,106

29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.60 ₡719

-7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.44 ₡3,786

289.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

30.40%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$34.3K ₡15.4M

-42.85%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$95.6 ₡42.9K

-20.54%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$19.92 ₡8,934

70.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$60.1 ₡26.9K

-29.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$54.2 ₡24.3K

-45.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$10.17 ₡4,562

99.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.64 ₡3,425

45.94%

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

$507 CA$717

$966 ₡433.1K

-47.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,005 ₡4.0M

78.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$70.3 ₡31.5K

-18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-31.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$130 ₡58.1K

-29.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$132 ₡59.2K

-16.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,619 ₡726.2K

-22.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$629 ₡282.2K

50.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,944 ₡1.3M

-27.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,270 ₡569.7K

27.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$3,654 ₡1.6M

35.74%

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

8.62

-48.03%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Playa Flamingo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Playa Flamingo

$629 37.6% 33.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Playa Flamingo

$386 23.1% 11.5% $40

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Playa Flamingo

$223 13.3% 22.5% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5% 15.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Playa Flamingo

$174 10.4% 30.4% $41

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Playa Flamingo

$15 * 0.9% 84.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Playa Flamingo

$69 4.2% 33.5% $17

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 $1,619 in Playa Flamingo. 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 Playa Flamingo. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $386 in Playa Flamingo – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

22:18 10:18 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montreal Playa Flamingo 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Playa Flamingo

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 Playa Flamingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 21% more than Playa Flamingo, 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 $2,510 in Playa Flamingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa Flamingo, 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 Playa Flamingo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa Flamingo, where all-in costs run around $1,673, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Playa Flamingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa Flamingo costs $1,673 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 Playa Flamingo. 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.