Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Quesada

For one person, living is cheaper in Quesada: $1,678 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 Quesada
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Quesada Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Quesada

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,678 in Quesada, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Quesada $1,678

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,663 in Quesada, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Quesada $2,663

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,648 in Quesada, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Quesada $3,648

Montreal costs about 20% more than Quesada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.75

$12.24 ₡5,499

53.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$62.1 ₡27.9K

13.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$11.41 ₡5,128

-6.57%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$4.48 ₡2,013

-14.29%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$2.76 ₡1,242

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.94 ₡873

-20.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$3.20 ₡1,440

94.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$2.39 ₡1,075

197.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.40 ₡1,079

-3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$2.83 ₡1,271

10.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$2.53 ₡1,136

26.88%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$2.57 ₡1,154

36.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.21

$10.84 ₡4,870

18.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.29

$10.25 ₡4,604

11.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$14.09 ₡6,330

-4.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$5.04 ₡2,265

-37.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.64 ₡735

-12.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$1.08 ₡483

221.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$3.93 ₡1,768

-21.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$3.91 ₡1,757

-51.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$3.56 ₡1,600

-50.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.12 ₡505

108.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$3.20 ₡1,437

-51.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.17

$6.01 ₡2,700

89.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$15.29 ₡6,873

-30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$2.83 ₡1,273

-19.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$3.64 ₡1,636

-22.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.34 ₡602

98.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$1.56 ₡700

105.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.56 ₡699

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.73

$8.94 ₡4,017

267.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.52 ₡681

-11.84%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$22.0K ₡9.9M

27.72%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$35.5K ₡15.9M

-44.65%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-21.08%

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

$33.95 CA$48.26

$29.69 ₡13.3K

14.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-23.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.29

$72.0 ₡32.4K

-58.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

$16.14 ₡7,253

25.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.85

$5.53 ₡2,483

101.63%

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

$507 CA$721

$255 ₡114.8K

98.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$4,187 ₡1.9M

283.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$71.2 ₡32.0K

-19.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$55.0 ₡24.7K

-31.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$126 ₡56.7K

-27.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$109 ₡49.0K

0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$807 ₡362.7K

56.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$639 ₡287.1K

48.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,037

$1,882 ₡845.6K

13.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,293

$1,263 ₡567.5K

27.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

$4,173 ₡1.9M

18.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

$2,149 ₡965.8K

78.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

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 Quesada: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Quesada

$639 38.1% 32.6% $309

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Quesada

$371 22.1% 7.2% $25

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Quesada

$226 13.4% 21.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Quesada

$181 10.8% 19.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Quesada

$163 9.7% 21.9% $29

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Quesada

$15 * 0.9% 85.1% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Quesada

$83 5% 59.6% $31

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 $807 in Quesada. 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 Quesada. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $371 in Quesada – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Quesada

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

42,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Quesada 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Quesada

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 Quesada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 20% more than Quesada, 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 $2,517 in Quesada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Quesada, where all-in costs run around $1,678, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Quesada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quesada costs $1,678 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 Quesada. 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.