Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago: $1,206 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Santiago

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $1,206 in Santiago, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Santiago $1,206

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,885 in Santiago, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Santiago $1,885

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,564 in Santiago, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Santiago $2,564

Montreal costs about 66% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Santiago is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$10.19 CLP 9,954

89.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$52.2 CLP 51.0K

44.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$8.54 CLP 8,342

24.47%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$3.19 CLP 3,122

23.20%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.68 CLP 1,641

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.22 CLP 1,194

21.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$4.21 CLP 4,110

49.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$4.66 CLP 4,550

54.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.32 CLP 1,286

68.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$1.80 CLP 1,760

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$1.58 CLP 1,547

86.08%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$4.25 CLP 4,151

-16.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$11.19 CLP 10.9K

17.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$6.75 CLP 6,596

66.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$10.67 CLP 10.4K

29.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$2.04 CLP 1,995

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$1.53 CLP 1,500

-5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$1.59 CLP 1,553

105.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$1.75 CLP 1,712

64.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$1.08 CLP 1,054

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.51 CLP 1,480

20.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$1.17 CLP 1,148

107.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.07 CLP 1,043

42.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$5.14 CLP 5,027

122.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$5.88 CLP 5,745

76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$1.55 CLP 1,516

43.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.27 CLP 2,223

24.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$0.85 CLP 831

203.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

$41.50 CLP 40.6K

85.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$0.39 CLP 383

733.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.84 CLP 822

76.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$11.94 CLP 11.7K

176.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.50 CLP 1,470

-9.33%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$18.1K CLP 17.7M

51.50%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$21.6K CLP 21.1M

-7.56%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$151 CLP 147.7K

-49.62%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$12.04 CLP 11.8K

188.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$18.93 CLP 18.5K

125.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$33.81 CLP 33.0K

-14.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

$11.72 CLP 11.5K

73.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$7.37 CLP 7,202

52.10%

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

$505 CA$718

$434 CLP 424.3K

16.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$11.0K CLP 10.7M

45.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$50.9 CLP 49.7K

15.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$29.16 CLP 28.5K

30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$67.4 CLP 65.8K

37.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$80.3 CLP 78.4K

31.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$555 CLP 542.0K

123.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$372 CLP 364.0K

164.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$1,009 CLP 986.6K

108.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$779 CLP 760.9K

107.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$2,671 CLP 2.6M

88.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$2,622 CLP 2.6M

46.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$791 CLP 773.5K

269.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

5.39

-17.25%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Santiago

$372 31.6% 62.2% $614

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Santiago

$236 20% 31.3% $107

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Santiago

$187 15.9% 36% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Santiago

$182 15.5% 18.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Santiago

$102 8.7% 22.8% $30

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Santiago

$50 4.2% 49.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 5.5% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $555 in Santiago. 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 269% higher in Montreal, 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $52.0 in Santiago. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $236 – making Santiago the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,096 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.12 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Santiago 8,780 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 66% more than Santiago, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $1,809 in Santiago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 45% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $52.0 in Santiago. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santiago, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Santiago it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santiago costs $1,206 versus $2,003 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 Santiago. 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.