Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Ramon

For one person, living is cheaper in San Ramon: $1,755 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
85

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,755 in San Ramon, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
San Ramon $1,755

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $2,755 in San Ramon, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
San Ramon $2,755

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $3,755 in San Ramon, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
San Ramon $3,755

Montreal costs about 14% more than San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and San Ramon sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, San Ramon by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$11.87 ₡5,352

62.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$56.6 ₡25.5K

33.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$11.15 ₡5,025

-4.66%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$4.31 ₡1,942

-8.82%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.60 ₡1,172

-26.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.91 ₡862

-22.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$3.35 ₡1,510

88.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$4.36 ₡1,968

64.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.33 ₡1,050

-4.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$3.09 ₡1,392

-0.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$2.44 ₡1,099

20.49%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$5.22 ₡2,354

-32.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$10.80 ₡4,868

22.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$10.47 ₡4,720

7.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$14.16 ₡6,384

-2.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$5.22 ₡2,352

-34.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.55 ₡699

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$3.45 ₡1,557

-5.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$3.37 ₡1,521

-14.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$3.02 ₡1,361

-38.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$3.18 ₡1,436

-42.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.26 ₡569

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$2.67 ₡1,202

-43.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$5.74 ₡2,587

99.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$16.49 ₡7,435

-37.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$2.54 ₡1,143

-12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.62 ₡1,182

7.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.36 ₡612

89.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$2.51 ₡1,131

29.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.64 ₡738

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$8.98 ₡4,047

267.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.49 ₡672

-8.72%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

25.88%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$35.1K ₡15.8M

-43.05%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$145 ₡65.4K

-47.53%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$44.41 ₡20.0K

-21.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$54.9 ₡24.8K

-22.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$73.2 ₡33.0K

-60.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$8.38 ₡3,778

33.77%

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

$505 CA$718

$858 ₡386.6K

-41.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-6.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$71.2 ₡32.1K

-17.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$57.2 ₡25.8K

-33.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$131 ₡59.2K

-29.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$134 ₡60.4K

-21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$793 ₡357.5K

56.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$630 ₡284.0K

56.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$1,848 ₡833.1K

13.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$1,266 ₡570.7K

27.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$1,168 ₡526.5K

331.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$1,157 ₡521.7K

230.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

8.78

-49.20%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Ramon: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

San Ramon

$630 35.7% 36.1% $356

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

San Ramon

$382 21.6% 11% $38

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

San Ramon

$224 12.7% 23.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

San Ramon

$244 13.9% 59.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

San Ramon

$177 10.1% 33.4% $44

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 83.5% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

San Ramon

$90 5.1% 75.1% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $793 in San Ramon. 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $57.0 in San Ramon. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Montreal vs $382 in San Ramon – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

05:43 5:43 AM

03:43 3:43 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

10,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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 Ramon 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Ramon

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 Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 14% more than San Ramon, 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 $3,005 per month in Montreal and $2,633 in San Ramon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Ramon, 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 $75.0 in Montreal and $57.0 in San Ramon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in San Ramon, where all-in costs run around $1,755, than in Montreal at $2,003. In San Ramon 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 Ramon costs $1,755 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 Ramon. 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.