Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Upala

For one person, living is cheaper in Upala: $1,421 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Upala
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Upala Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,421

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Upala

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $1,421 in Upala, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Upala $1,421

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $2,267 in Upala, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Upala $2,267

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $3,112 in Upala, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Upala $3,112

Montreal costs about 45% more than Upala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Upala sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Upala by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$12.15 ₡5,448

55.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$54.3 ₡24.4K

34.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.68 ₡5,238

-9.76%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.68 ₡1,650

7.88%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.74 ₡781

11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.81 ₡812

-13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$3.35 ₡1,503

91.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$4.33 ₡1,944

66.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.18 ₡976

6.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.61 ₡722

98.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.53 ₡1,134

26.09%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$2.67 ₡1,198

37.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$3.22 ₡1,444

311.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$6.54 ₡2,931

78.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$8.73 ₡3,914

60.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.72 ₡772

82.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$0.69 ₡308

110.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$2.78 ₡1,246

21.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$2.71 ₡1,213

14.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.75 ₡1,680

-48.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.65 ₡1,186

-30.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.09 ₡488

116.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.70 ₡1,209

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$6.10 ₡2,736

82.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$8.87 ₡3,980

19.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.65 ₡1,188

-16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.57 ₡1,603

-20.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.29 ₡579

103.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.49 ₡1,115

29.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.63 ₡733

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$6.41 ₡2,873

402.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.41 ₡633

-3.55%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$22.3K ₡10.0M

24.13%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$35.0K ₡15.7M

-39.48%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$56.6 ₡25.4K

36.23%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$36.14 ₡16.2K

-5.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$21.59 ₡9,684

95.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$7.53 ₡3,375

52.32%

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

$506 CA$716

$997 ₡447.0K

-49.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-4.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$32.85 ₡14.7K

74.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$22.25 ₡9,981

71.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$127 ₡57.1K

-27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$33.14 ₡14.9K

231.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$797 ₡357.5K

55.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$635 ₡285.0K

53.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,883 ₡844.6K

15.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,264 ₡566.7K

27.25%

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 Upala: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Upala

$635 44.7% 34.9% $341

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Upala

$256 18% 27.1% $95

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Upala

$216 15.2% 25.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Upala

$114 8% 25.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Upala

$97 6.8% 27.4% $37

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Upala

$16 * 1.1% 84.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Upala

$87 6.1% 61.3% $33

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 $797 in Upala. 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 $54.0 in Upala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $256 – making Upala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇷 Upala

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

21:30 9:30 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

15,000

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Upala 4,000 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Upala

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 Upala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 45% more than Upala, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $2,132 in Upala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upala, 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 $54.0 in Upala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 Upala, where all-in costs run around $1,421, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Upala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Upala costs $1,421 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 Upala. 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.