Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,298 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Montreal vs $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Montreal $2,067
Santa Isabel $1,298

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Montreal vs $2,045 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Montreal $3,179
Santa Isabel $2,045

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Montreal vs $2,791 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Montreal $4,291
Santa Isabel $2,791

Montreal costs about 59% more than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montreal sits 53% above the global median, while Santa Isabel is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$19.18 $19.18

-1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$82.6 $82.6

-12.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$9.06 $9.06

19.09%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$3.61 $3.61

10.25%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.89 $1.89

6.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$1.51 $1.51

7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$3.02 $3.02

109.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$5.07 $5.07

39.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$1.31 $1.31

77.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$3.40 $3.40

-4.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$2.42 $2.42

34.71%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$6.21 $6.21

-43.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$12.41 $12.41

10.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$9.82 $9.82

16.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$13.10 $13.10

8.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$5.01 $5.01

-29.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.54 $2.54

-42.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$4.94 $4.94

-30.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$4.67 $4.67

-31.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.85 $3.85

-49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$3.88 $3.88

-54.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$3.37 $3.37

-25.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.65 $1.65

-4.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

$12.04 $12.04

-4.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$15.50 $15.50

-31.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$3.14 $3.14

-25.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$3.94 $3.94

-26.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.44 $2.44

29.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$0.66 $0.66

125.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

$39.69 $39.69

-15.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.09 $1.09

24.77%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

$35.1K $35.1K

-20.12%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$27.9K $27.9K

-24.30%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$318 $318

-75.58%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$68.5 $68.5

-47.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$71.1 $71.1

-38.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$10.62 $10.62

6.12%

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

$522 CA$732

$826 $826

-36.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$12.0K $12.0K

48.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

$56.7 $56.7

3.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$62.2 $62.2

-37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$107 $107

-6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$115 $115

-4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.55

-31.15%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6% 11.4% $41

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2% 9.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2% 191% $300

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 94.2% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 59.6% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $83 in Santa Isabel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $398 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

23,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Santa Isabel 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Isabel

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 Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 59% more than Santa Isabel, 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 $3,100 per month in Montreal and $1,948 in Santa Isabel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $83 in Santa Isabel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Isabel, where all-in costs run around $1,298, than in Montreal at $2,067. In Santa Isabel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,298 in Santa Isabel to $2,067 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.