Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quetzaltenango and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Quetzaltenango: $1,148 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Quetzaltenango
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Quetzaltenango Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Quetzaltenango

🇬🇹 Guatemala

$1,148

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,148 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,148
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,444
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,741 per month in Quetzaltenango vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Quetzaltenango $1,741
Montreal $4,152

Quetzaltenango is about 43% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Quetzaltenango sits 15% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 Q 51.9

$18.82 CA$26.61

-63.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.64 Q 380

$70.3 CA$99.4

-29.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.66 Q 58.6

$10.66 CA$15.06

-28.14%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Q 24.91

$3.84 CA$5.43

-15.10%

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

$1.15 Q 8.77

$1.92 CA$2.71

-40.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 Q 6.97

$1.54 CA$2.18

-40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 Q 25.60

$6.23 CA$8.81

-46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.66 Q 35.65

$7.10 CA$10.03

-34.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 Q 15.36

$2.31 CA$3.27

-12.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 Q 20.33

$3.14 CA$4.44

-15.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 Q 16.30

$3.21 CA$4.54

-33.64%

Eggs

$2.51 Q 19.16

$3.52 CA$4.97

-28.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 Q 49.23

$12.81 CA$18.11

-49.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 Q 60.9

$11.46 CA$16.20

-30.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 Q 98.3

$13.39 CA$18.92

-3.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 Q 21.90

$3.14 CA$4.43

-8.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Q 13.02

$1.44 CA$2.03

18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 Q 22.30

$3.47 CA$4.91

-15.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 Q 12.55

$3.07 CA$4.34

-46.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 Q 11.81

$1.90 CA$2.69

-18.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 Q 16.71

$1.77 CA$2.50

23.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 Q 5.31

$2.34 CA$3.31

-70.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 Q 9.10

$1.55 CA$2.19

-23.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 Q 25.64

$11.38 CA$16.09

-70.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 Q 61.9

$10.63 CA$15.03

-23.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 Q 13.18

$2.27 CA$3.21

-24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 Q 20.70

$2.82 CA$3.99

-3.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 Q 39.38

$3.20 CA$4.53

60.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 Q 13.22

$1.48 CA$2.09

16.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.56 Q 80.8

$32.88 CA$46.48

-67.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 Q 10.57

$1.34 CA$1.90

2.99%

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

$27.5K Q 210.6K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-2.17%

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

$25.3K Q 193.3K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

28.77%

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

$72.7 Q 556

$76.0 CA$107

-4.24%

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

$13.06 Q 99.9

$33.95 CA$48.00

-61.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.29 Q 354

$42.31 CA$59.8

9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.89 Q 251

$29.76 CA$42.07

10.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 Q 48.54

$11.15 CA$15.77

-43.05%

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

$342 Q 2,611

$507 CA$717

-32.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,757 Q 51.7K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-57.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.0 Q 382

$57.6 CA$81.4

-13.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 Q 356

$37.58 CA$53.1

24.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Q 844

$91.9 CA$130

20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Q 857

$110 CA$155

2.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Q 3,037

$1,260 CA$1,782

-68.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 Q 3,046

$948 CA$1,340

-57.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

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 %)

11.62

4.48

159.37%

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

Last update for Quetzaltenango: 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

Quetzaltenango

$398 34.7%

Montreal

$948 47% 138% $549

Groceries & Markets

Quetzaltenango

$264 23%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 31.4% $83

Eating Out

Quetzaltenango

$151 13.1%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 91.1% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Quetzaltenango

$144 12.5%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quetzaltenango

$132 11.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 15.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Quetzaltenango

$46 4%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 14.2% $6.5

Getting Around

Quetzaltenango

$14 * 1.2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 614% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Quetzaltenango 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 $50.0 in Quetzaltenango versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $346 – making Quetzaltenango the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇹 Quetzaltenango

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

02:45 2:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

2 h ahead of Quetzaltenango

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Guatemalan Quetzal GTQ Q

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GTQ = 0.131 USD

1 GTQ = 0.116 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to GTQ – Guatemalan Quetzal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇹 Guatemalan Quetzal (Q)

Guatemalan Quetzal exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.65 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.131 USD). 1 EUR = 8.6 GTQ (1 GTQ = 0.116 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 GTQ in detail →

On the map

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Quetzaltenango Montreal 3,800 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Quetzaltenango
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

Quetzaltenango vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 76% more than Quetzaltenango, 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 $1,722 per month in Quetzaltenango 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 Quetzaltenango, 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 $50.0 in Quetzaltenango and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 Quetzaltenango, where all-in costs run around $1,148, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Quetzaltenango it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quetzaltenango costs $1,148 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 Quetzaltenango. 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.