Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Isidro

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,080 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,080 in San Isidro, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
San Isidro $1,080

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,774 in San Isidro, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
San Isidro $1,774

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,469 in San Isidro, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
San Isidro $2,469

Montreal costs about 87% more than San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while San Isidro is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$9.89 ARS 15.0K

90.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$37.49 ARS 56.9K

87.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.68 ARS 17.7K

-8.73%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.93 ARS 4,444

31.06%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.77 ARS 2,681

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.63 ARS 2,474

-5.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.91 ARS 5,927

59.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.30 ARS 3,492

208.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.25 ARS 1,892

84.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.57 ARS 2,383

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.60 ARS 2,431

100.62%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.29 ARS 3,472

53.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.46 ARS 12.8K

51.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$6.09 ARS 9,242

88.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.33 ARS 15.7K

29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.93 ARS 2,929

62.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.59 ARS 2,406

-9.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.02 ARS 1,555

240.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.01 ARS 3,046

52.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.94 ARS 1,424

102.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.69 ARS 1,046

156.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.52 ARS 2,311

53.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.69 ARS 2,563

-8.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$3.25 ARS 4,925

250.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$4.87 ARS 7,383

118.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.26 ARS 1,915

80.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.83 ARS 4,298

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.94 ARS 1,430

182.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.64 ARS 2,494

95.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.02 ARS 1,549

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$7.78 ARS 11.8K

322.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.09 ARS 1,657

22.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.6K ARS 41.9M

1.97%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$29.5K ARS 44.7M

-33.35%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$59.0 ARS 89.6K

28.72%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$19.65 ARS 29.8K

72.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$27.03 ARS 41.0K

56.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$33.47 ARS 50.8K

-11.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$4.78 ARS 7,246

133.26%

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

$507 CA$717

$470 ARS 713.2K

7.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$8,938 ARS 13.6M

79.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$91.2 ARS 138.3K

-36.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$59.1 ARS 89.7K

-36.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$114 ARS 173.7K

-19.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$141 ARS 214.2K

-22.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$514 ARS 779.4K

145.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$335 ARS 507.9K

183.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,063 ARS 1.6M

100.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$777 ARS 1.2M

107.59%

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

57.25

-92.17%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Isidro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

San Isidro

$335 31% 64.7% $613

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

San Isidro

$216 20% 37.6% $130

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

San Isidro

$187 17.3% 35% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

San Isidro

$106 9.8% 30.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

San Isidro

$183 16.9% 36.8% $49

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

San Isidro

$11 * 1% 89.3% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

San Isidro

$43 4% 17.4% $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 $514 in San Isidro. 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 $37.00 in San Isidro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $216 – making San Isidro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

18:32 6:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

45,190

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Montreal San Isidro 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Isidro

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 Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 87% more than San Isidro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,619 in San Isidro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Isidro, 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 $37.00 in San Isidro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Isidro, where all-in costs run around $1,080, than in Montreal at $2,018. In San Isidro 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 Isidro costs $1,080 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 Isidro. 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.