Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ushuaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $957 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
Learn more

Ushuaia Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Ushuaia

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $957 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Ushuaia $957

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,570 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Ushuaia $1,570

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,183 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Ushuaia $2,183

Montreal costs about 111% more than Ushuaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Ushuaia is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$10.38 ARS 15.8K

81.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$33.08 ARS 50.2K

112.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.06 ARS 13.7K

17.66%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.78 ARS 4,224

38.13%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.67 ARS 2,528

14.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.54 ARS 2,330

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.16 ARS 3,274

188.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.04 ARS 4,610

133.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.31 ARS 1,984

76.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.57 ARS 2,388

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.02 ARS 3,069

58.91%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.27 ARS 3,449

55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.15 ARS 15.4K

26.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$6.35 ARS 9,633

80.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.23 ARS 14.0K

45.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.01 ARS 3,052

56.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.06 ARS 3,132

-30.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.27 ARS 1,933

173.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.62 ARS 3,980

17.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.17 ARS 1,779

62.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.19 ARS 1,809

48.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.32 ARS 2,005

77.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.45 ARS 2,197

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$3.11 ARS 4,716

265.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$5.02 ARS 7,625

111.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.97 ARS 2,994

15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.02 ARS 4,583

-6.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.77 ARS 1,173

245.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.47 ARS 2,224

117.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.86 ARS 1,308

72.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$5.86 ARS 8,894

461.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.10 ARS 1,671

21.82%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.9K ARS 42.3M

0.95%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$30.4K ARS 46.1M

-35.34%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$65.8 ARS 99.8K

15.46%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$17.24 ARS 26.2K

96.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.31 ARS 33.9K

89.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$26.50 ARS 40.2K

12.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$13.68 ARS 20.8K

48.25%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.16 ARS 9,341

81.01%

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

$507 CA$717

$220 ARS 333.3K

130.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$2,731 ARS 4.1M

487.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$75.1 ARS 113.9K

-23.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$70.4 ARS 106.8K

-46.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$114 ARS 173.1K

-19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$111 ARS 168.4K

-1.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$342 ARS 519.2K

268.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$233 ARS 354.2K

306.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$694 ARS 1.1M

207.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$537 ARS 814.2K

200.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,848 ARS 2.8M

168.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,594 ARS 2.4M

140.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

58.5

-92.34%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ushuaia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Ushuaia

$233 24.4% 75.4% $714

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Ushuaia

$231 24.1% 33.3% $115

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Ushuaia

$173 18.1% 39.8% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Ushuaia

$105 11% 30.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Ushuaia

$167 17.4% 24.9% $33

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Ushuaia

$8.9 * 0.9% 91% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Ushuaia

$39 4.1% 25.4% $13

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 $342 in Ushuaia. 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $33.00 in Ushuaia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $231 – making Ushuaia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

79,538

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Ushuaia 11,160 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Ushuaia

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 Ushuaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 111% more than Ushuaia, 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,436 in Ushuaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ushuaia, 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 $70.0 in Montreal and $33.00 in Ushuaia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ushuaia, where all-in costs run around $957, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Ushuaia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ushuaia costs $957 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 Ushuaia. 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.