Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Marta

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,436 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Santa Marta $1,436

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,691 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Santa Marta $1,691

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,946 in Santa Marta, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Santa Marta $1,946

Montreal costs about 41% more than Santa Marta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Santa Marta sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Santa Marta by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.85 COP 12.2K

-0.26%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.52 COP 4,834

51.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.15 COP 6,825

46.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.18 COP 3,737

172.03%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.55 COP 8,070

38.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.18 COP 25.9K

56.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$9.79 COP 31.0K

17.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$11.43 COP 36.2K

17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-23.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.98 COP 3,110

46.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.12 COP 3,553

209.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.99 COP 6,308

54.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.91 COP 2,881

108.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.54 COP 4,888

14.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.97 COP 3,081

141.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.64 COP 2,037

142.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$4.10 COP 13.0K

177.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$17.44 COP 55.3K

-39.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.44 COP 4,566

57.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.42 COP 4,507

98.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.97 COP 3,086

174.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.20 COP 10.2K

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.29 COP 4,104

3.88%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.0K COP 75.9M

17.54%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$33.6K COP 106.6M

-41.61%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$154 COP 489.7K

-50.82%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$9.26 COP 29.3K

266.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.25 COP 70.6K

90.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$31.58 COP 100.1K

-5.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$5.07 COP 16.1K

119.92%

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

$507 CA$717

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$10.8K COP 34.1M

49.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$86.9 COP 275.6K

-33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$63.5 COP 201.4K

-40.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$92.6 COP 293.6K

-0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$88.2 COP 279.6K

24.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,088 COP 3.5M

15.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$743 COP 2.4M

27.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,098 COP 3.5M

94.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$628 COP 2.0M

156.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,098 COP 3.5M

351.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,216 COP 3.9M

215.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$534 COP 1.7M

429.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

19.54

-77.07%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Santa Marta

$743 51.8% 21.6% $205

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Santa Marta

$263 18.3% 24.2% $84

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2% 83.9% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Santa Marta

$186 13% 22.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Santa Marta

$149 10.4% 11.7% $16

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5% 92.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Santa Marta

$42 2.9% 19.9% $10

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 $1,088 in Santa Marta. 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 429% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

500,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Montreal
Santa Marta

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 Marta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 41% more than Santa Marta, 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 $2,153 in Santa Marta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Marta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $1,436 in Santa Marta. That's a gap of about 41%.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Marta, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Marta 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 Marta costs $1,436 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 Marta. 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.