Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Cruz

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,758 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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 Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,758 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Santa Cruz $1,758

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,778 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Santa Cruz $2,778

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,798 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Santa Cruz $3,798

Montreal costs about 15% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Santa Cruz sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Santa Cruz by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.75

$12.29 ₡5,523

53.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$62.6 ₡28.1K

12.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.14

$10.81 ₡4,856

-1.39%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$4.58 ₡2,059

-16.16%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$2.20 ₡989

-12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.90 ₡854

-18.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$3.31 ₡1,489

88.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.08

$4.36 ₡1,958

62.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$2.38 ₡1,070

-2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$3.16 ₡1,422

-0.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$2.48 ₡1,113

29.44%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$3.56 ₡1,599

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.21

$10.50 ₡4,717

22.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.29

$10.51 ₡4,722

9.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$14.15 ₡6,359

-5.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$5.20 ₡2,336

-39.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.07 ₡482

34.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$4.83 ₡2,170

-28.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$3.91 ₡1,758

-21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$3.87 ₡1,741

-50.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$3.64 ₡1,636

-51.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.13 ₡508

107.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$3.08 ₡1,383

-49.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.17

$5.78 ₡2,596

96.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$20.18 ₡9,068

-47.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$2.88 ₡1,294

-21.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$3.68 ₡1,654

-23.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.78

$1.29 ₡581

106.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$2.50 ₡1,125

28.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.56 ₡701

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.73

$8.60 ₡3,864

282.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.56 ₡702

-14.10%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$22.1K ₡9.9M

27.62%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-43.13%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$94.5 ₡42.4K

-19.59%

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

$33.95 CA$48.26

$35.98 ₡16.2K

-5.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.1

$59.8 ₡26.9K

-29.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.29

$71.7 ₡32.2K

-58.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.83

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.85

$6.75 ₡3,034

65.19%

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

$507 CA$721

$978 ₡439.3K

-48.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$17.2K ₡7.7M

-6.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$72.2 ₡32.4K

-20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$56.1 ₡25.2K

-33.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$129 ₡58.0K

-28.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$132 ₡59.1K

-16.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$912 ₡409.8K

38.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$665 ₡298.7K

42.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,037

$1,689 ₡759.1K

26.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,293

$1,310 ₡588.5K

23.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,049

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,454

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

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 Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Santa Cruz

$665 37.8% 29.8% $283

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Santa Cruz

$400 22.8% 15.4% $53

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Santa Cruz

$227 12.9% 21% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Santa Cruz

$190 10.8% 25% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Santa Cruz

$175 10% 31.2% $42

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Santa Cruz

$15 * 0.9% 84.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Santa Cruz

$85 4.9% 63.6% $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 $912 in Santa Cruz. 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 $63.0 in Santa Cruz. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $400 in Santa Cruz – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,665

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Santa Cruz 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Cruz

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 Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 15% more than Santa Cruz, 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 $2,637 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, 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 $63.0 in Santa Cruz. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% 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 Santa Cruz, where all-in costs run around $1,758, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Cruz 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 Cruz costs $1,758 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 Cruz. 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.