Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Salento

For one person, living is cheaper in Salento: $797 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Salento
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Salento Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Salento

🇨🇴 Colombia

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Salento

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $797 in Salento, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Salento $797

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,210 in Salento, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Salento $1,210

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,624 in Salento, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Salento $1,624

Montreal costs about 153% more than Salento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Salento is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$3.84 COP 12.2K

390.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$23.68 COP 75.1K

196.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.19 COP 22.8K

48.26%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.52 COP 4,806

152.63%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$0.93 COP 2,935

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.57 COP 1,804

170.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.19 COP 3,782

423.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.16 COP 6,837

228.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.09 COP 3,457

111.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.24 COP 3,939

153.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.18 COP 3,739

172.03%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.15 COP 6,818

63.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$4.39 COP 13.9K

191.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$5.13 COP 16.3K

123.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$7.31 COP 23.2K

83.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.51 COP 7,970

25.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.05 COP 3,326

37.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.37 COP 4,343

153.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.05 COP 3,336

192.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.11 COP 3,527

71.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.13 COP 3,583

56.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.82 COP 2,608

185.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.68 COP 2,160

127.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.37 COP 7,525

380.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$9.63 COP 30.5K

10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.10 COP 3,482

106.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.76 COP 5,586

60.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.73 COP 2,310

264.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$30.33 COP 96.2K

154.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.41 COP 4,478

126.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.71 COP 5,433

-13.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$6.11 COP 19.4K

438.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$0.99 COP 3,135

35.35%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$18.1K COP 57.3M

55.78%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.1K COP 79.5M

-21.68%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$81.4 COP 258.1K

-6.67%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$8.90 COP 28.2K

281.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.59 COP 71.6K

87.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$23.61 COP 74.9K

26.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$3.96 COP 12.6K

181.57%

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

$507 CA$717

$238 COP 753.3K

113.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$5,861 COP 18.6M

173.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$59.3 COP 188.0K

-2.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$32.37 COP 102.6K

16.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$82.0 COP 260.1K

12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$72.6 COP 230.1K

50.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$269 COP 853.9K

368.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$239 COP 758.9K

295.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$524 COP 1.7M

307.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$424 COP 1.3M

280.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,420 COP 4.5M

249.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,087 COP 3.4M

253.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

13.06

-65.70%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Salento: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Salento

$239 30% 74.7% $708

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Salento

$172 21.6% 50.3% $174

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Salento

$87 10.9% 69.9% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Salento

$113 14.2% 25.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Salento

$111 13.9% 17% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Salento

$43 5.4% 56.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Salento

$32 4% 39.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $269 in Salento. 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 $24.00 in Salento. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $172 – making Salento the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇴 Salento

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

9,748

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Montreal Salento 4,550 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Salento

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 Salento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 153% more than Salento, 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 $1,195 in Salento. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salento, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $24.00 in Salento. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Salento, where all-in costs run around $797, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Salento it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Salento costs $797 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 Salento. 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.