Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Paramaribo and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Paramaribo: $984 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Paramaribo
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Paramaribo Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Paramaribo

🇸🇷 Suriname

$984

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Paramaribo and in Montreal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Paramaribo and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $984 per month in Paramaribo vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Paramaribo $984
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Paramaribo vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Paramaribo $1,657
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $2,331 per month in Paramaribo vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Paramaribo $2,331
Montreal $4,092

Paramaribo is about 51% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Paramaribo sits 27% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.44 SRD 504

$19.31 CA$27.52

-30.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 SRD 1,964

$75.5 CA$108

-30.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.99 SRD 412

$10.63 CA$15.15

3.39%

Cappuccino

$2.88 SRD 108

$3.93 CA$5.60

-26.72%

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

$1.41 SRD 52.9

$1.92 CA$2.73

-26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 SRD 32.91

$1.48 CA$2.11

-40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 SRD 99.7

$6.30 CA$8.98

-57.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 SRD 146

$7.19 CA$10.24

-45.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SRD 68.7

$2.22 CA$3.17

-17.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SRD 52.2

$3.06 CA$4.36

-54.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 SRD 60.3

$2.94 CA$4.19

-45.24%

Eggs

$2.98 SRD 112

$3.53 CA$5.03

-15.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 SRD 444

$13.19 CA$18.79

-10.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 SRD 231

$11.24 CA$16.02

-45.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 SRD 381

$13.81 CA$19.69

-26.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.77 SRD 179

$3.40 CA$4.85

40.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SRD 116

$1.44 CA$2.06

115.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 SRD 140

$3.26 CA$4.65

14.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 SRD 221

$2.88 CA$4.10

104.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SRD 49.77

$1.86 CA$2.65

-28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 SRD 75.6

$1.82 CA$2.60

10.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 SRD 55.6

$2.43 CA$3.46

-39.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SRD 56.4

$1.52 CA$2.17

-0.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.58 SRD 209

$11.45 CA$16.32

-51.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 SRD 292

$10.36 CA$14.76

-24.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 SRD 75.0

$2.22 CA$3.16

-9.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 SRD 142

$2.82 CA$4.02

34.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 SRD 28.90

$2.58 CA$3.67

-70.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 SRD 79.8

$3.25 CA$4.64

-34.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 SRD 57.8

$1.48 CA$2.11

4.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.17 SRD 269

$33.04 CA$47.09

-78.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 SRD 44.50

$1.36 CA$1.94

-12.50%

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

$24.6K SRD 921.2K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-10.37%

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

$25.3K SRD 948.6K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

26.72%

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

$37.31 SRD 1,398

$76.1 CA$109

-50.99%

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

$25.70 SRD 963

$34.68 CA$49.43

-25.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.67 SRD 1,149

$42.69 CA$60.9

-28.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.84 SRD 518

$28.94 CA$41.26

-52.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.32 SRD 761

$20.33 CA$28.97

-0.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 SRD 186

$11.21 CA$15.98

-55.75%

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

$62.3 SRD 2,335

$505 CA$720

-87.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,739 SRD 65.2K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-89.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.84 SRD 1,268

$58.5 CA$83.4

-42.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.87 SRD 782

$38.00 CA$54.2

-45.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.4 SRD 2,525

$92.7 CA$132

-27.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SRD 3,903

$106 CA$151

-1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 SRD 18.3K

$1,240 CA$1,768

-60.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 SRD 9,855

$986 CA$1,405

-73.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$949 SRD 35.6K

$2,102 CA$2,996

-54.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 SRD 19.0K

$1,615 CA$2,302

-68.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$462 SRD 17.3K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-90.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 SRD 15.0K

$3,830 CA$5,459

-89.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 SRD 10.5K

$2,920 CA$4,163

-90.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

258.74%

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

Last update for Paramaribo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Paramaribo

$300 30%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 14.7% $44

Accommodation & Living

Paramaribo

$263 26.3%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 275% $723

Eating Out

Paramaribo

$205 20.5%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 42.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Paramaribo

$102 10.2%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 30.4% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Paramaribo

$94 9.4%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 63.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Paramaribo

$24 2.4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 116% $28

Getting Around

Paramaribo

$13 * 1.3%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 657% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Paramaribo versus $1,240 in Montreal. 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 946% 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 $52.0 in Paramaribo versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $344 – making Paramaribo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Paramaribo

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:13 4:13 AM

03:13 3:13 AM

1 h behind Paramaribo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

242,946 Capital

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.67 USD

100 SRD = 2.38 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 37.47 SRD (100 SRD = 2.67 USD). 1 EUR = 42.03 SRD (100 SRD = 2.38 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Paramaribo Montreal 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Paramaribo
Montreal

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

Paramaribo vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 104% more than Paramaribo, 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 $1,476 per month in Paramaribo and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paramaribo, 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 $52.0 in Paramaribo and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 Paramaribo, where all-in costs run around $984, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Paramaribo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Paramaribo costs $984 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 Paramaribo. 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.