Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $913 in San José, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
San José $913

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $1,449 in San José, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
San José $1,449

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $1,985 in San José, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
San José $1,985

Montreal costs about 126% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 52% above the global median, while San José is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$12.95 UYU 520

45.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$43.87 UYU 1,761

66.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$13.82 UYU 555

-23.73%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.88 UYU 196

-18.65%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-18.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-28.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$2.92 UYU 117

119.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$3.48 UYU 140

106.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.99 UYU 39.77

134.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.01 UYU 80.7

58.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$1.47 UYU 59.0

117.01%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$2.62 UYU 105

40.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.01 UYU 482

10.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$7.26 UYU 291

61.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$12.07 UYU 484

15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.22 UYU 48.77

157.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.54 UYU 61.8

-5.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$1.21 UYU 48.71

179.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$1.54 UYU 61.7

101.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$0.98 UYU 39.49

96.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.28 UYU 51.5

42.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.49 UYU 59.7

58.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.99 UYU 79.9

-24.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$9.82 UYU 394

13.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$8.17 UYU 328

29.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$3.05 UYU 123

-27.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.35 UYU 135

-15.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.50 UYU 141

-7.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$3.45 UYU 139

-57.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$9.95 UYU 399

223.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-36.74%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-24.07%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-47.09%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$113 UYU 4,547

-32.00%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$23.78 UYU 955

43.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$47.11 UYU 1,891

-10.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$12.35 UYU 496

-7.13%

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

$506 CA$716

$494 UYU 19.8K

2.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

142.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-35.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$37.57 UYU 1,508

1.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$164 UYU 6,601

-44.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$117 UYU 4,699

-6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-10.40%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

San José

$256 28.1% 27% $95

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

San José

$243 26.7% 16.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

San José

$184 20.2% 20.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

San José

$183 20.1% 37.2% $50

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 79.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 54.1% $29

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 $73.0 in Montreal versus $44.00 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $256 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

36,747

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal San José 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San José

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 José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 126% more than San José, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $1,369 in San José. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $44.00 in San José. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Montreal at $2,059. In San José 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 José costs $913 versus $2,059 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 José. 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.