Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Turrialba

For one person, living is cheaper in Turrialba: $1,726 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
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Turrialba Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Turrialba

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $1,726 in Turrialba, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Turrialba $1,726

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $2,753 in Turrialba, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Turrialba $2,753

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $3,779 in Turrialba, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Turrialba $3,779

Montreal costs about 19% more than Turrialba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Turrialba sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Turrialba by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$11.97 ₡5,370

57.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$60.9 ₡27.3K

20.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.78 ₡5,283

-10.53%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.34 ₡1,946

-8.53%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.75 ₡1,233

-29.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.94 ₡871

-19.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$3.32 ₡1,488

93.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$4.40 ₡1,973

63.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.35 ₡1,052

-1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.06 ₡1,372

4.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.53 ₡1,134

26.09%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.60 ₡1,612

2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$10.54 ₡4,726

25.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$10.32 ₡4,630

13.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.16 ₡6,352

-1.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.07 ₡2,273

-38.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.57 ₡705

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.74 ₡2,124

-28.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.97 ₡1,782

-21.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.91 ₡1,754

-50.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.71 ₡1,663

-50.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.13 ₡505

108.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$3.19 ₡1,431

-52.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$6.07 ₡2,724

83.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$20.24 ₡9,076

-47.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.84 ₡1,274

-21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.60 ₡1,613

-21.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.28 ₡574

104.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.45 ₡1,101

31.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.57 ₡704

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$8.80 ₡3,948

266.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.50 ₡671

-9.33%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$22.2K ₡10.0M

24.29%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-38.66%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$96.4 ₡43.2K

-20.10%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$35.27 ₡15.8K

-3.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$59.2 ₡26.5K

-28.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$73.7 ₡33.0K

-58.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$7.87 ₡3,527

45.74%

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

$506 CA$716

$993 ₡445.3K

-49.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-6.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$72.0 ₡32.3K

-20.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$56.4 ₡25.3K

-32.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$128 ₡57.5K

-28.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$134 ₡60.1K

-18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$808 ₡362.3K

53.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$626 ₡280.7K

56.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,870 ₡838.7K

16.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,287 ₡577.2K

24.94%

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

8.62

-48.03%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Turrialba

$626 36.3% 35.9% $351

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Turrialba

$402 23.3% 14.4% $51

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Turrialba

$227 13.2% 21.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Turrialba

$191 11.1% 24.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Turrialba

$176 10.2% 31.5% $42

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9% 84.6% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Turrialba

$89 5.2% 66.3% $36

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 $808 in Turrialba. 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 $61.0 in Turrialba. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $402 in Turrialba – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🕒 Local time

09:30 9:30 AM

07:30 7:30 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

27,000

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Turrialba 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Turrialba

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 Turrialba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 19% more than Turrialba, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $2,589 in Turrialba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Turrialba, 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 $61.0 in Turrialba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Turrialba, where all-in costs run around $1,726, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Turrialba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Turrialba costs $1,726 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 Turrialba. 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.