Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Ana

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Ana: $1,026 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Santa Ana

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,026 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Santa Ana $1,026

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,625 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Santa Ana $1,625

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,225 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Santa Ana $2,225

Montreal costs about 97% more than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Santa Ana is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.74

$6.80 $6.80

176.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$44.56 $44.56

57.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$6.93 $6.93

53.82%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$3.64 $3.64

5.49%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.17 $1.17

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$0.82 $0.82

87.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$2.05 $2.05

203.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$3.46 $3.46

105.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.80 $1.80

28.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$2.86 $2.86

9.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.56

$1.39 $1.39

130.94%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$2.97 $2.97

18.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.20

$7.49 $7.49

71.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.28

$7.00 $7.00

63.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.02

$10.29 $10.29

30.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.45

$5.02 $5.02

-37.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.38 $1.38

4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.93

$2.68 $2.68

29.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$3.55 $3.55

-13.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$2.98 $2.98

-36.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$3.23 $3.23

-45.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.01 $1.01

131.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$0.99 $0.99

56.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.16

$3.96 $3.96

187.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.10

$11.77 $11.77

-9.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$2.17 $2.17

4.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.98 $2.98

-5.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$0.29 $0.29

817.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$5.96 $5.96

-46.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$2.94 $2.94

-49.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.71

$19.64 $19.64

67.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$0.95 $0.95

41.05%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$22.8K $22.8K

23.44%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$26.8K $26.8K

-26.64%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$40.10 $40.10

89.43%

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

$33.95 CA$48.24

$20.97 $20.97

61.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$38.73 $38.73

9.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.27

$34.57 $34.57

-13.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.81

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.84

$4.97 $4.97

124.35%

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

$507 CA$720

$162 $162

212.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$4,797 $4,797

234.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$67.5 $67.5

-14.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$46.93 $46.93

-19.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$120 $120

-23.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$117 $117

-6.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,791

$640 $640

96.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,346

$271 $271

249.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,036

$1,019 $1,019

109.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,292

$448 $448

260.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,046

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,452

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,017

$457 $457

519.08%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Santa Ana

$271 26.4% 71.4% $676

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Santa Ana

$286 27.9% 17.5% $61

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Santa Ana

$144 14% 50% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Santa Ana

$100 9.7% 34.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Santa Ana

$158 15.5% 18.7% $25

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Santa Ana

$22 * 2.1% 77.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Santa Ana

$45 4.3% 14.5% $7.6

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 $640 in Santa Ana. 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 519% 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $45.00 in Santa Ana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $286 – making Santa Ana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇸🇻 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

167,200

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Santa Ana 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Ana

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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 97% more than Santa Ana, 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,538 in Santa Ana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Ana, 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 $45.00 in Santa Ana. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Ana, where all-in costs run around $1,026, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Ana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Ana costs $1,026 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 Santa Ana. 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.