Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Quetzaltenango

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Quetzaltenango

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,148 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Quetzaltenango $1,148

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,444 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Quetzaltenango $1,444

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,741 in Quetzaltenango, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Quetzaltenango $1,741

Montreal costs about 76% more than Quetzaltenango, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Quetzaltenango is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$6.78 Q 51.9

177.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$49.64 Q 380

41.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.66 Q 58.6

39.16%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.26 Q 24.91

17.79%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.15 Q 8.77

66.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.91 Q 6.97

69.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.35 Q 25.60

85.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.66 Q 35.65

52.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.01 Q 15.36

14.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.66 Q 20.33

18.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.13 Q 16.30

50.70%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.51 Q 19.16

40.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$6.44 Q 49.23

98.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$7.96 Q 60.9

43.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$12.86 Q 98.3

4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.86 Q 21.90

9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.70 Q 13.02

-15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.92 Q 22.30

18.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.64 Q 12.55

87.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.55 Q 11.81

22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.19 Q 16.71

-19.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.69 Q 5.31

239.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.19 Q 9.10

30.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$3.35 Q 25.64

239.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$8.09 Q 61.9

31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.72 Q 13.18

31.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.71 Q 20.70

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$5.15 Q 39.38

-37.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.73 Q 13.22

-14.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$10.56 Q 80.8

211.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.38 Q 10.57

-2.90%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.5K Q 210.6K

2.22%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.3K Q 193.3K

-22.34%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$72.7 Q 556

4.43%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$13.06 Q 99.9

159.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$46.29 Q 354

-8.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$32.89 Q 251

-9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.35 Q 48.54

75.59%

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

$507 CA$717

$342 Q 2,611

48.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$6,757 Q 51.7K

137.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$50.0 Q 382

15.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$46.61 Q 356

-19.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$110 Q 844

-16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$112 Q 857

-2.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$397 Q 3,037

217.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$398 Q 3,046

137.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

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

11.62

-61.45%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Quetzaltenango: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7% 58% $549

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Quetzaltenango

$264 23% 23.9% $83

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1% 47.7% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5% 13.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5% 7.6% $10

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2% 86% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Quetzaltenango

$46 4% 12.4% $6.5

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 $397 in Quetzaltenango. 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 $50.0 in Quetzaltenango. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $264 – making Quetzaltenango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

500,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GTQ, 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).

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Quetzaltenango 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Quetzaltenango

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 Quetzaltenango: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 76% more than Quetzaltenango, 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,722 in Quetzaltenango. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quetzaltenango, 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 $50.0 in Quetzaltenango. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quetzaltenango, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Quetzaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quetzaltenango costs $1,148 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 Quetzaltenango. 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.