Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Pedro

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $1,707 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,707 in San Pedro, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
San Pedro $1,707

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,825 in San Pedro, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
San Pedro $2,825

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,943 in San Pedro, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
San Pedro $3,943

Montreal costs about 18% more than San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and San Pedro sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, San Pedro by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$12.40 ₡5,563

51.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$62.5 ₡28.0K

12.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.85 ₡5,314

-10.04%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.38 ₡1,964

-12.33%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.73 ₡1,226

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.85 ₡829

-16.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.27 ₡1,467

90.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.42 ₡1,984

60.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.39 ₡1,074

-3.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.04 ₡1,363

3.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.50 ₡1,123

28.40%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.48 ₡1,560

1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.84 ₡4,862

18.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$10.52 ₡4,718

8.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$14.17 ₡6,355

-5.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.11 ₡2,291

-38.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.57 ₡705

-8.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.80 ₡2,153

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.79 ₡1,699

-19.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.86 ₡1,732

-50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.73 ₡1,674

-52.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.09 ₡487

114.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$3.10 ₡1,388

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.97 ₡2,677

90.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$19.99 ₡8,963

-46.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.75 ₡1,235

-17.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.55 ₡1,590

-20.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.47 ₡661

80.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.49 ₡1,119

28.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.56 ₡698

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.84 ₡3,964

271.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.51 ₡676

-11.26%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.7K ₡9.7M

29.90%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$35.6K ₡16.0M

-44.85%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$94.6 ₡42.4K

-19.74%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$35.67 ₡16.0K

-4.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$60.3 ₡27.0K

-29.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$69.6 ₡31.2K

-57.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.62 ₡3,417

46.33%

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

$507 CA$717

$985 ₡441.6K

-48.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-7.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$71.4 ₡32.0K

-19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$55.2 ₡24.8K

-31.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$129 ₡57.9K

-28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$131 ₡58.9K

-16.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$818 ₡366.9K

54.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$610 ₡273.6K

55.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,985 ₡890.2K

7.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,447 ₡649.1K

11.48%

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 Pedro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

San Pedro

$610 35.7% 35.6% $337

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

San Pedro

$400 23.5% 15.6% $54

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

San Pedro

$231 13.5% 19.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

San Pedro

$191 11.2% 25.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

San Pedro

$174 10.2% 30.5% $41

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

San Pedro

$16 * 1% 83.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

San Pedro

$85 5% 62.9% $33

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 $818 in San Pedro. 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 $62.0 in San Pedro. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $400 in San Pedro – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

27,477

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Pedro 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Pedro

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 Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 18% more than San Pedro, 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 $2,561 in San Pedro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pedro, 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 $62.0 in San Pedro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the 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 $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro, where all-in costs run around $1,707, than in Montreal at $2,018. In San Pedro 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 Pedro costs $1,707 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 Pedro. 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.