Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Barbara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Barbara: $1,721 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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 Santa Barbara
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Santa Barbara Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Santa Barbara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,721 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Santa Barbara $1,721

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,727 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Santa Barbara $2,727

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,734 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Santa Barbara $3,734

Montreal costs about 17% more than Santa Barbara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Santa Barbara sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Santa Barbara by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$12.38 ₡5,551

52.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$60.3 ₡27.0K

21.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.41 ₡5,116

-7.62%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.57 ₡2,048

-13.13%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.76 ₡1,240

-29.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.87 ₡837

-16.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$3.20 ₡1,436

100.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$4.33 ₡1,942

66.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.41 ₡1,082

-3.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.01 ₡1,352

5.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.49 ₡1,118

28.11%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.46 ₡1,552

6.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$10.63 ₡4,766

24.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$10.31 ₡4,625

13.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.23 ₡6,383

-1.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.98 ₡2,232

-36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.64 ₡736

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.84 ₡2,170

-30.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.92 ₡1,760

-20.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.75 ₡1,682

-48.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.62 ₡1,622

-49.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.12 ₡500

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$3.18 ₡1,424

-52.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$5.87 ₡2,632

89.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$19.77 ₡8,864

-46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.88 ₡1,293

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.65 ₡1,637

-22.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.29 ₡578

103.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.41 ₡1,081

34.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.64 ₡734

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$8.69 ₡3,896

270.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.55 ₡694

-12.26%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$22.4K ₡10.0M

23.46%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$34.7K ₡15.6M

-39.01%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$94.1 ₡42.2K

-18.09%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$35.37 ₡15.9K

-3.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$59.4 ₡26.7K

-29.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$74.0 ₡33.2K

-58.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$7.63 ₡3,422

50.33%

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

$506 CA$716

$978 ₡438.7K

-48.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-4.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$71.1 ₡31.9K

-19.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$56.1 ₡25.2K

-32.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$130 ₡58.3K

-29.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$133 ₡59.8K

-17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$799 ₡358.5K

54.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$620 ₡278.0K

57.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,921 ₡861.5K

13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,240 ₡556.2K

29.66%

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

8.62

-48.03%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Barbara: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Santa Barbara

$620 36% 36.5% $357

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Santa Barbara

$400 23.3% 14% $49

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Santa Barbara

$231 13.4% 20.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Santa Barbara

$189 11% 23.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Santa Barbara

$176 10.2% 31.5% $42

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Santa Barbara

$16 * 0.9% 84.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Santa Barbara

$89 5.2% 66% $35

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 $799 in Santa Barbara. 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 $60.0 in Santa Barbara. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $400 in Santa Barbara – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Santa Barbara

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

8,000

💱 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 Santa Barbara 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Barbara

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 Barbara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 17% more than Santa Barbara, 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 $2,582 in Santa Barbara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Barbara, 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 $60.0 in Santa Barbara. 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 Santa Barbara, where all-in costs run around $1,721, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Barbara 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 Barbara costs $1,721 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 Barbara. 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.