Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Teresa

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $1,546 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Santa Teresa $1,546

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $2,318 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Santa Teresa $2,318

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $3,090 in Santa Teresa, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Santa Teresa $3,090

Montreal costs about 33% more than Santa Teresa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Santa Teresa sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Santa Teresa by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$10.08 ₡4,519

86.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$43.44 ₡19.5K

68.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$9.24 ₡4,144

14.07%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.73 ₡1,673

6.43%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.97 ₡883

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.66 ₡745

-5.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$3.00 ₡1,344

114.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$4.58 ₡2,055

57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.98 ₡887

17.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.90 ₡1,301

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.21 ₡990

44.34%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$2.93 ₡1,312

25.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$9.91 ₡4,446

33.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$9.31 ₡4,173

25.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$13.64 ₡6,116

2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.61 ₡2,068

-31.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.52 ₡681

-4.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.23 ₡1,898

-20.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.07 ₡1,377

1.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.20 ₡1,437

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.63 ₡1,180

-30.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.04 ₡466

126.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.81 ₡1,258

-46.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$5.08 ₡2,277

118.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$14.20 ₡6,368

-25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.36 ₡1,058

-5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.56 ₡1,149

10.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.00 ₡449

162.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$1.81 ₡810

78.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.87 ₡837

-20.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$8.00 ₡3,589

302.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.45 ₡652

-6.21%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$37.2K ₡16.7M

-25.62%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$32.8K ₡14.7M

-35.38%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$84.7 ₡38.0K

-8.99%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$26.18 ₡11.7K

30.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$49.65 ₡22.3K

-15.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$50.6 ₡22.7K

-39.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$23.98 ₡10.8K

-18.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$8.87 ₡3,976

29.31%

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

$506 CA$716

$573 ₡256.9K

-11.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$12.6K ₡5.6M

29.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$62.9 ₡28.2K

-9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$51.1 ₡22.9K

-25.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$127 ₡56.9K

-27.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$107 ₡47.9K

2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$700 ₡314.1K

76.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$605 ₡271.4K

61.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,462 ₡655.5K

49.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$970 ₡435.0K

65.78%

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

10.17

-55.95%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1% 38.1% $372

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6% 0.6% $2.1

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4% 34% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4% 4.6% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1% 17.1% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1% 84.9% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4% 27.1% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $700 in Santa Teresa. 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 $73.0 in Montreal versus $43.00 in Santa Teresa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $349 – making Santa Teresa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

12:06 12:06 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

3,099

💱 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 Teresa 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Teresa

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 Teresa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 33% more than Santa Teresa, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $2,319 in Santa Teresa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Teresa, 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 $73.0 in Montreal and $43.00 in Santa Teresa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Teresa, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Santa Teresa 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 Teresa costs $1,546 versus $2,059 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 Teresa. 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.