Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Samara

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreal and in Samara: $2,018 and $2,007 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Samara
Learn more

Samara Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Samara

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $2,007 in Samara, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Samara $2,007

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $3,528 in Samara, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Samara $3,528

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $5,050 in Samara, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Samara $5,050

Montreal costs about 1% more than Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$10.84 ₡4,864

73.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$62.2 ₡27.9K

12.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.71 ₡5,250

-8.97%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.38 ₡1,965

-12.33%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.72 ₡1,218

-29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.90 ₡851

-18.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.27 ₡1,464

90.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.56 ₡2,043

55.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.36 ₡1,056

-2.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.14 ₡1,407

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.40 ₡1,075

33.75%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.47 ₡1,556

1.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.73 ₡4,812

19.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$10.58 ₡4,746

8.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.85 ₡4,864

23.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.02 ₡2,252

-37.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.57 ₡705

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.80 ₡2,153

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.85 ₡1,728

-20.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.85 ₡1,728

-50.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.61 ₡1,618

-50.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.08 ₡483

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$3.22 ₡1,445

-51.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.40 ₡2,423

110.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$19.51 ₡8,752

-45.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.80 ₡1,254

-18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.36 ₡1,056

19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.37 ₡613

94.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.40 ₡1,078

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.55 ₡693

-4.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.46 ₡3,793

288.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.49 ₡668

-10.07%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

26.71%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-43.14%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$93.7 ₡42.0K

-18.92%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$36.05 ₡16.2K

-5.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$58.2 ₡26.1K

-27.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$72.9 ₡32.7K

-59.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.53 ₡3,376

48.07%

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

$507 CA$717

$497 ₡223.0K

1.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$6,064 ₡2.7M

164.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$65.2 ₡29.2K

-11.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$55.5 ₡24.9K

-32.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$131 ₡58.6K

-29.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$134 ₡60.2K

-18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,393 ₡624.9K

-9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$935 ₡419.2K

1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$3,664 ₡1.6M

-41.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$2,613 ₡1.2M

-38.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$5,004 ₡2.2M

-0.88%

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 Samara: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Samara

$935 46.6% 1.4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Samara

$389 19.4% 12.1% $42

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Samara

$218 10.9% 24.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Samara

$188 9.4% 23.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Samara

$174 8.7% 30% $40

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 84.2% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Samara

$88 4.4% 69% $36

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 $1,393 in Samara. 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 Samara. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $389 in Samara – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

19:10 7:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,071

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Samara 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 1% more than Samara, 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 $3,010 in Samara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samara, 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 Samara. 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Samara, where all-in costs run around $2,007, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Samara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Samara costs $2,007 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 Samara. 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.