Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreal and in San Jose: $2,003 and $1,949 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
San Jose $3,857

Montreal costs about 3% more than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and San Jose sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$12.22 ₡5,510

58.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$60.1 ₡27.1K

25.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$11.77 ₡5,305

-9.69%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$4.30 ₡1,939

-8.60%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.72 ₡1,226

-29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.84 ₡830

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$3.28 ₡1,480

92.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.36 ₡1,966

64.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$2.38 ₡1,074

-6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$3.12 ₡1,408

-1.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$2.41 ₡1,086

21.99%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$3.47 ₡1,564

1.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$10.57 ₡4,767

24.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$10.56 ₡4,758

6.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$13.75 ₡6,196

0.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$5.04 ₡2,274

-32.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.61 ₡727

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$4.59 ₡2,069

-28.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$3.84 ₡1,731

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$3.77 ₡1,700

-50.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$3.76 ₡1,693

-51.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.12 ₡506

116.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$3.20 ₡1,441

-52.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$5.84 ₡2,632

96.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$19.73 ₡8,897

-47.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.75 ₡1,240

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.66 ₡1,650

-22.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.12 ₡503

130.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$65.1 ₡29.4K

18.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.46 ₡1,110

32.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.54 ₡692

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$8.46 ₡3,815

290.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.55 ₡699

-12.26%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

26.38%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-42.72%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$94.7 ₡42.7K

-19.60%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-27.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-59.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$25.19 ₡11.4K

-19.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$7.83 ₡3,532

43.17%

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

$505 CA$720

$971 ₡437.9K

-48.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-5.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-18.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-30.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$129 ₡58.2K

-28.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$133 ₡60.0K

-20.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$934 ₡420.9K

32.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$770 ₡347.2K

28.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,945 ₡876.7K

8.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,316 ₡593.5K

22.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,277 ₡1.0M

121.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,795 ₡809.1K

113.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$1,006 ₡453.5K

190.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

8.62

-48.26%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 21.9% $216

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 16.1% $55

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 22.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 22.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 31.7% $42

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 18.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 71% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $934 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 190% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal versus $60.0 in San Jose. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Montreal vs $399 in San Jose – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal San Jose 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Jose

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 Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 3% more than San Jose, 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 $3,005 per month in Montreal and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Jose, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $60.0 in San Jose. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Jose, where all-in costs run around $1,949, than in Montreal at $2,003. In San Jose 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 Jose costs $1,949 versus $2,003 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 Jose. 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.