Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Quilmes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Quilmes

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $965 in Quilmes, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Quilmes $965

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,611 in Quilmes, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Quilmes $1,611

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,257 in Quilmes, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Quilmes $2,257

Montreal costs about 109% more than Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Quilmes is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$5.63 ARS 8,548

234.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

104.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

19.37%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.95 ARS 4,476

30.17%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.69 ARS 2,565

13.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.72 ARS 2,608

-10.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$4.10 ARS 6,222

51.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.19 ARS 3,329

224.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$0.98 ARS 1,488

135.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.56 ARS 2,373

101.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.63 ARS 2,478

96.93%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.25 ARS 3,408

56.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

-3.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$5.86 ARS 8,899

95.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

31.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.93 ARS 2,928

62.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.58 ARS 2,398

-8.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.01 ARS 1,531

243.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.08 ARS 4,673

-0.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.99 ARS 1,499

91.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.65 ARS 986

172.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.73 ARS 1,105

220.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.69 ARS 1,041

124.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.15 ARS 7,815

120.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$4.16 ARS 6,319

155.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.24 ARS 1,877

83.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.87 ARS 2,833

50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.98 ARS 1,494

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.77 ARS 4,196

15.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.97 ARS 1,473

52.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.09 ARS 1,654

22.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

-43.83%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

-49.87%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

26.77%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

138.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

91.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

9.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

11.72%

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

$507 CA$717

$315 ARS 477.4K

61.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

-41.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

8.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

45.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

56.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$519 ARS 787.3K

142.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$332 ARS 504.4K

185.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$999 ARS 1.5M

113.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$812 ARS 1.2M

98.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

113.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

111.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

153.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

100

-95.52%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Quilmes

$332 34.4% 64.9% $615

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Quilmes

$213 22.1% 38.6% $134

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Quilmes

$146 15.1% 49.4% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Quilmes

$96 10% 36.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Quilmes

$119 12.4% 10.6% $14

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2% 88.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 9.5% $4.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $519 in Quilmes. 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 154% 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $34.00 in Quilmes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $213 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

16:58 4:58 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

230,810

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Quilmes 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Quilmes

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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 109% more than Quilmes, 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 $1,448 in Quilmes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quilmes, 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 $34.00 in Quilmes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% 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 Quilmes, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Quilmes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quilmes costs $965 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 Quilmes. 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.