Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa Flamingo and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa Flamingo: $1,673 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,673

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,673 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $1,673
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,667 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $2,667
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,660 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $3,660
Montreal $4,152

Playa Flamingo is about 17% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Playa Flamingo and Montreal sit above the global median – Playa Flamingo by 24%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 ₡5,412

$18.82 CA$26.61

-35.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 ₡28.0K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-11.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 ₡4,517

$10.66 CA$15.06

-5.53%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,963

$3.84 CA$5.43

14.06%

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

$2.74 ₡1,230

$1.92 CA$2.71

42.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡824

$1.54 CA$2.18

19.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 ₡1,481

$6.23 CA$8.81

-47.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,027

$7.10 CA$10.03

-36.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ₡905

$2.31 CA$3.27

-12.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,365

$3.14 CA$4.44

-3.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.21 CA$4.54

-24.92%

Eggs

$2.93 ₡1,316

$3.52 CA$4.97

-16.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 ₡4,847

$12.81 CA$18.11

-15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 ₡4,446

$11.46 CA$16.20

-13.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 ₡5,361

$13.39 CA$18.92

-10.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 ₡2,331

$3.14 CA$4.43

65.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.44 CA$2.03

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,124

$3.47 CA$4.91

36.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,748

$3.07 CA$4.34

27.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.90 CA$2.69

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.74 ₡1,678

$1.77 CA$2.50

111.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡458

$2.34 CA$3.31

-56.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 ₡1,452

$1.55 CA$2.19

109.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 ₡2,236

$11.38 CA$16.09

-56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.90 ₡8,926

$10.63 CA$15.03

87.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₡1,263

$2.27 CA$3.21

24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 ₡1,574

$2.82 CA$3.99

24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ₡562

$2.66 CA$3.76

-53.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₡1,106

$3.20 CA$4.53

-22.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 ₡719

$1.48 CA$2.09

8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.44 ₡3,786

$32.88 CA$46.48

-74.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 CA$1.90

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-23.31%

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

$34.3K ₡15.4M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

74.98%

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

$95.6 ₡42.9K

$76.0 CA$107

25.84%

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

$19.92 ₡8,934

$33.95 CA$48.00

-41.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡26.9K

$42.31 CA$59.8

41.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ₡24.3K

$29.76 CA$42.07

82.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.17 ₡4,562

$20.28 CA$28.67

-49.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ₡3,425

$11.15 CA$15.77

-31.48%

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

$966 ₡433.1K

$507 CA$717

90.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,005 ₡4.0M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-43.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 ₡31.5K

$57.6 CA$81.4

22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$37.58 CA$53.1

46.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.1K

$91.9 CA$130

40.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.2K

$110 CA$155

20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 ₡726.2K

$1,260 CA$1,782

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₡282.2K

$948 CA$1,340

-33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,944 ₡1.3M

$2,137 CA$3,021

37.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 ₡569.7K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-21.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,654 ₡1.6M

$4,960 CA$7,011

-26.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

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 Playa Flamingo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa Flamingo

$629 37.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 50.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Playa Flamingo

$386 23.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 10.3% $40

Eating Out

Playa Flamingo

$223 13.3%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 29% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 13.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Playa Flamingo

$174 10.4%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 23.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Playa Flamingo

$69 4.2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Playa Flamingo

$15 * 0.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 536% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,619 in Playa Flamingo versus $1,260 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 $62.0 in Playa Flamingo versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Playa Flamingo vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

2 h ahead of Playa Flamingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Playa Flamingo Montreal 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa Flamingo
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

Playa Flamingo vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 21% more than Playa Flamingo, 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 $2,510 per month in Playa Flamingo and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa Flamingo, 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 $62.0 in Playa Flamingo and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa Flamingo, where all-in costs run around $1,673, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Playa Flamingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa Flamingo costs $1,673 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 Playa Flamingo. 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.