Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Fe, NM

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe, NM
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Santa Fe, NM Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Santa Fe, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Santa Fe, NM

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Santa Fe, NM $2,868

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,964 in Santa Fe, NM, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Santa Fe, NM $3,964

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $5,059 in Santa Fe, NM, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Santa Fe, NM $5,059

Montreal is about 28% cheaper than Santa Fe, NM, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Montreal and Santa Fe, NM sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Santa Fe, NM by 111%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$16.79 $16.79

13.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$67.2 $67.2

8.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$10.05 $10.05

8.26%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$5.13 $5.13

-25.73%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.84 $2.84

-31.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$2.34 $2.34

-32.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$6.11 $6.11

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$7.14 $7.14

1.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$0.94 $0.94

137.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$3.14 $3.14

0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$4.58 $4.58

-27.73%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$4.15 $4.15

-12.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$11.69 $11.69

12.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$9.72 $9.72

18.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$17.05 $17.05

-19.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$4.71 $4.71

-30.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.48 $1.48

-1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$3.82 $3.82

-11.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$4.29 $4.29

-26.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$3.25 $3.25

-41.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.05 $2.05

-12.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$2.00 $2.00

23.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$2.43 $2.43

-34.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$10.72 $10.72

5.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$16.16 $16.16

-35.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.12 $2.12

10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$3.71 $3.71

-21.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$1.02 $1.02

155.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$19.97 $19.97

296.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$3.66 $3.66

-10.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.96 $1.96

-26.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$32.25 $32.25

3.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.02 $1.02

30.39%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$26.5K $26.5K

8.02%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$25.6K $25.6K

-17.68%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$159 $159

-49.65%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$45.35 $45.35

-24.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$73.4 $73.4

-41.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$69.7 $69.7

-55.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$13.16 $13.16

-14.67%

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

$525 CA$737

$1,344 $1,344

-60.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$15.5K $15.5K

5.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$55.3 $55.3

4.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$42.87 $42.87

-11.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$78.6 $78.6

18.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$119 $119

-7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$2,172 $2,172

-40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$1,652 $1,652

-40.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$3,059 $3,059

-25.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$2,387 $2,387

-30.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

$6,231 $6,231

-17.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

$3,826 $3,826

0.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$3,927 $3,927

-23.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.57

-31.81%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Fe, NM: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Santa Fe, NM

$1.7K 57.6% 69.1% $675

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Santa Fe, NM

$381 13.3% 8.5% $30

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Santa Fe, NM

$292 10.2% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Santa Fe, NM

$278 9.7% 76.7% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Santa Fe, NM

$133 4.6% 1.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Santa Fe, NM

$38 1.3% 62.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Santa Fe, NM

$96 3.4% 79% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $2,172 in Santa Fe, NM. 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 31% higher in Santa Fe, NM, 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 $73 in Montreal versus $67 in Santa Fe, NM. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $381 in Santa Fe, NM – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Santa Fe, NM

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

87,505

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Santa Fe, NM 2,920 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Fe, NM

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 Fe, NM: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Fe, NM costs about 39% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,096 per month in Montreal and $4,303 in Santa Fe, NM. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,285 there versus $2,172 in Santa Fe, NM.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Santa Fe, NM, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $67 in Santa Fe, NM. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,064 in Montreal and $2,868 in Santa Fe, NM. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Fe, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.