Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quesada and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Quesada: $1,678 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 Quesada
Learn more

Quesada Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Quesada

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,678

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,678 per month in Quesada vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Quesada $1,678
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,663 per month in Quesada vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Quesada $2,663
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,648 per month in Quesada vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Quesada $3,648
Montreal $4,152

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 ₡5,499

$18.82 CA$26.75

-34.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.1 ₡27.9K

$70.3 CA$99.9

-11.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 ₡5,128

$10.66 CA$15.14

7.04%

Cappuccino

$4.48 ₡2,013

$3.84 CA$5.46

16.67%

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

$2.76 ₡1,242

$1.92 CA$2.72

43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡873

$1.54 CA$2.19

25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,440

$6.23 CA$8.86

-48.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₡1,075

$7.10 CA$10.08

-66.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 ₡1,079

$2.31 CA$3.29

3.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 ₡1,271

$3.14 CA$4.47

-9.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,136

$3.21 CA$4.57

-21.18%

Eggs

$2.57 ₡1,154

$3.52 CA$5.00

-26.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,870

$12.81 CA$18.21

-15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ₡4,604

$11.46 CA$16.29

-10.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.09 ₡6,330

$13.39 CA$19.03

5.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,265

$3.14 CA$4.46

60.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.44 CA$2.04

13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 ₡483

$3.47 CA$4.94

-68.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,768

$3.07 CA$4.37

28.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$1.90 CA$2.70

105.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.56 ₡1,600

$1.77 CA$2.52

101.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡505

$2.34 CA$3.33

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,437

$1.55 CA$2.21

106.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.01 ₡2,700

$11.38 CA$16.17

-47.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.29 ₡6,873

$10.63 CA$15.11

43.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₡1,273

$2.27 CA$3.23

24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₡1,636

$2.82 CA$4.01

29.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ₡602

$2.66 CA$3.78

-49.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ₡700

$3.20 CA$4.55

-51.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$1.48 CA$2.10

5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,017

$32.88 CA$46.73

-72.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡681

$1.34 CA$1.91

13.43%

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

$22.0K ₡9.9M

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-21.71%

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

$35.5K ₡15.9M

$19.6K CA$27.9K

80.66%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$76.0 CA$108

26.71%

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

$29.69 ₡13.3K

$33.95 CA$48.26

-12.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$42.31 CA$60.1

30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.4K

$29.76 CA$42.29

142.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 ₡7,253

$20.28 CA$28.83

-20.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.53 ₡2,483

$11.15 CA$15.85

-50.40%

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

$255 ₡114.8K

$507 CA$721

-49.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,187 ₡1.9M

$16.1K CA$22.8K

-73.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 ₡32.0K

$57.6 CA$81.8

23.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.7K

$37.58 CA$53.4

46.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡56.7K

$91.9 CA$131

37.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ₡49.0K

$110 CA$156

-0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 ₡362.7K

$1,260 CA$1,792

-35.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$639 ₡287.1K

$948 CA$1,347

-32.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,882 ₡845.6K

$2,137 CA$3,037

-11.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 ₡567.5K

$1,614 CA$2,293

-21.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,173 ₡1.9M

$4,960 CA$7,049

-15.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,149 ₡965.8K

$3,838 CA$5,454

-44.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,019

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 Quesada: 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

Quesada

$639 38.1%

Montreal

$948 47% 48.3% $309

Groceries & Markets

Quesada

$371 22.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 6.7% $25

Eating Out

Quesada

$226 13.4%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 27.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quesada

$181 10.8%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 16.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Quesada

$163 9.7%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 17.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Quesada

$83 5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 37.3% $31

Getting Around

Quesada

$15 * 0.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 570% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $807 in Quesada 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 Quesada versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $371 in Quesada vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Quesada

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

2 h ahead of Quesada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quesada Montreal 4,050 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Quesada
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

Quesada vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 20% more than Quesada, 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 $2,517 per month in Quesada 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 Quesada, 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 Quesada 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 7% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Quesada, where all-in costs run around $1,678, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Quesada it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quesada costs $1,678 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 Quesada. 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.