Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,328 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,328

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perez Zeledon 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 Perez Zeledon and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $1,328
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $2,371
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $3,414 per month in Perez Zeledon vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Perez Zeledon $3,414
Montreal $4,187

Perez Zeledon is about 36% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Perez Zeledon sits 2% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.34 ₡4,188

$18.84 CA$26.63

-50.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 ₡16.4K

$73.2 CA$104

-49.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 ₡3,689

$10.54 CA$14.90

-21.92%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,210

$3.97 CA$5.61

-31.99%

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

$1.96 ₡880

$1.94 CA$2.74

1.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₡766

$1.57 CA$2.22

8.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₡804

$6.42 CA$9.08

-72.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$7.20 CA$10.19

-57.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.32 CA$3.28

-29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₡1,357

$3.19 CA$4.51

-5.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ₡1,109

$3.19 CA$4.50

-22.57%

Eggs

$2.48 ₡1,113

$3.68 CA$5.20

-32.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,763

$13.24 CA$18.72

-19.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$11.69 CA$16.53

-11.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.82 ₡6,196

$13.98 CA$19.76

-1.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,238

$3.14 CA$4.44

58.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡483

$1.45 CA$2.05

-25.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 ₡2,174

$3.38 CA$4.78

43.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,777

$3.11 CA$4.40

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$1.93 CA$2.72

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.78 ₡1,693

$1.83 CA$2.58

106.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ₡205

$2.36 CA$3.34

-80.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,441

$1.50 CA$2.12

114.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,582

$11.12 CA$15.73

-48.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.78 ₡8,870

$10.60 CA$14.98

86.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,240

$2.22 CA$3.14

24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ₡1,572

$2.84 CA$4.01

23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡344

$2.62 CA$3.71

-70.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.23 CA$4.56

-22.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.48 CA$2.10

8.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 ₡3,952

$32.22 CA$45.55

-72.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$1.36 CA$1.92

13.24%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-19.30%

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

$34.8K ₡15.6M

$21.2K CA$30.0K

64.03%

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

$92.9 ₡41.7K

$77.0 CA$109

20.57%

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

$23.91 ₡10.7K

$34.14 CA$48.26

-29.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 ₡26.3K

$42.19 CA$59.7

39.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 ₡32.5K

$30.81 CA$43.56

134.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ₡3,346

$11.47 CA$16.22

-34.96%

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

$508 ₡227.7K

$506 CA$716

0.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$16.2K CA$23.0K

4.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.9 ₡32.7K

$57.3 CA$81.0

27.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$38.10 CA$53.9

49.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$91.9 CA$130

40.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.1K

$110 CA$155

18.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₡180.0K

$1,237 CA$1,748

-67.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ₡149.4K

$977 CA$1,381

-65.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 ₡851.1K

$2,180 CA$3,082

-12.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 ₡564.0K

$1,608 CA$2,273

-21.79%

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 %)

8.62

4.48

92.41%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$382 28.8%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 8.1% $31

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$333 25.1%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 193% $644

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$176 13.2%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 12.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$175 13.2%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 23.6% $41

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$162 12.2%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 79.8% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$87 6.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 38.4% $34

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 637% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $401 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,237 in Montreal. 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 $37.00 in Perez Zeledon versus $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Perez Zeledon vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

20:19 8:19 PM

2 h ahead of Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon Montreal 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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

Perez Zeledon vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 55% more than Perez Zeledon, 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 $1,992 per month in Perez Zeledon and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, 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 $37.00 in Perez Zeledon and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Perez Zeledon costs $1,328 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 Perez Zeledon. 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.