Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Isidro

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,753 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
82

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

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,753

/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 $1,753 in San Isidro, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
San Isidro $1,753

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,640 in San Isidro, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
San Isidro $2,640

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,528 in San Isidro, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
San Isidro $3,528

Montreal costs about 15% more than San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and San Isidro sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, San Isidro by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$13.58 ₡6,092

38.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$51.7 ₡23.2K

35.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$12.04 ₡5,400

-11.46%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.76 ₡1,684

2.13%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.35 ₡1,053

-18.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.06 ₡922

-25.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.71 ₡1,665

67.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.05 ₡1,815

75.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.41 ₡1,082

-4.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.42 ₡1,087

29.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.78 ₡1,248

15.47%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.88 ₡1,740

-9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.45 ₡4,237

35.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$9.82 ₡4,403

16.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$13.80 ₡6,187

-2.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.07 ₡2,274

-38.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.71 ₡766

-15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.67 ₡1,647

-5.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.46 ₡1,553

-11.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.34 ₡1,498

-43.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.46 ₡1,550

-48.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.04 ₡468

125.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$3.03 ₡1,358

-48.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.03 ₡2,258

126.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$18.22 ₡8,171

-41.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.74 ₡1,230

-17.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.59 ₡1,162

8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.24 ₡556

114.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.35 ₡1,054

36.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.77 ₡792

-16.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$9.42 ₡4,223

249.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.46 ₡655

-8.22%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.7K ₡11.1M

14.13%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$35.2K ₡15.8M

-44.20%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$83.8 ₡37.6K

-9.36%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$31.55 ₡14.1K

7.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$53.2 ₡23.9K

-20.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$83.9 ₡37.6K

-64.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.90 ₡3,094

61.59%

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

$507 CA$717

$967 ₡433.4K

-47.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$17.9K ₡8.0M

-10.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$66.8 ₡29.9K

-13.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$61.4 ₡27.5K

-38.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$141 ₡63.3K

-34.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$118 ₡52.8K

-6.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$691 ₡310.1K

82.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$688 ₡308.5K

37.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,834 ₡822.6K

16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,136 ₡509.6K

42.00%

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

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 San Isidro: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

San Isidro

$688 39.2% 27.4% $260

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

San Isidro

$374 21.4% 8% $28

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

San Isidro

$234 13.4% 18.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

San Isidro

$169 9.6% 10.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

San Isidro

$174 9.9% 30.5% $41

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

San Isidro

$16 * 0.9% 83.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

San Isidro

$98 5.6% 87.7% $46

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 $691 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 $52.0 in San Isidro. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $374 in San Isidro – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

17,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Montreal San Isidro 4,070 km ≈ 6 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 15% more than San Isidro, 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 $2,629 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 $52.0 in San Isidro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Isidro, where all-in costs run around $1,753, 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 $1,753 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.