Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Antonio

For one person, living is cheaper in San Antonio: $612 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in San Antonio
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San Antonio Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

San Antonio

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in San Antonio

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $612 in San Antonio, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
San Antonio $612

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,039 in San Antonio, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
San Antonio $1,039

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,467 in San Antonio, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
San Antonio $1,467

Montreal costs about 230% more than San Antonio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while San Antonio is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$6.96 ₲39.6K

170.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$43.13 ₲245.2K

62.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.07 ₲40.2K

50.78%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.45 ₲19.6K

11.30%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.06 ₲6,023

81.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.57 ₲3,268

170.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.92 ₲10.9K

224.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$1.75 ₲9,951

305.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.27 ₲7,231

81.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.48 ₲8,425

112.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.41 ₲7,997

127.66%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.51 ₲14.3K

40.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.70 ₲55.1K

32.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$5.47 ₲31.1K

109.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.38 ₲59.0K

29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.13 ₲17.8K

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.25 ₲7,134

15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.20 ₲6,851

189.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.56 ₲14.5K

19.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.40 ₲7,952

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.36 ₲7,747

30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.94 ₲5,372

148.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.74 ₲4,191

109.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.38 ₲13.6K

378.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$9.28 ₲52.8K

14.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.42 ₲8,066

59.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.72 ₲9,805

63.95%

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

$1.55 ₲8,831

106.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.60 ₲9,086

-7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$10.59 ₲60.2K

210.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.23 ₲7,016

8.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$17.4K ₲99.2M

61.43%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$35.7K ₲203.1M

-45.05%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$50.6 ₲287.9K

50.03%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$17.77 ₲101.0K

91.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.45 ₲127.7K

88.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$8.66 ₲49.2K

28.75%

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

$507 CA$717

$191 ₲1.1M

166.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$5,832 ₲33.2M

175.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$66.1 ₲375.6K

-12.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$57.9 ₲329.3K

-35.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$107 ₲606.3K

-13.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$72.6 ₲412.6K

51.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

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

10.5

-57.33%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Antonio: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

San Antonio

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

San Antonio

$220 36% 36.4% $126

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

San Antonio

$138 22.5% 52.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

San Antonio

$91 14.8% 40.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

San Antonio

$136 22.3% 2.2% $2.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

San Antonio

$9.5 * 1.6% 90.3% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

San Antonio

$17 * 2.8% 66.7% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $43.00 in San Antonio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $220 – making San Antonio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇾 San Antonio

🕒 Local time

02:57 2:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

68,127

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal San Antonio 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Antonio

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 San Antonio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 230% more than San Antonio, 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 $918 in San Antonio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $43.00 in San Antonio. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Antonio, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Montreal at $2,018. In San Antonio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San Antonio costs $612 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 San Antonio. 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.