Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara and Montreal

For one person, living costs are similar in Samara and in Montreal: $2,007 and $2,018 a month, rent and utilities included.

98

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,007

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,007 per month in Samara vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Samara $2,007
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,528 per month in Samara vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Samara $3,528
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $5,050 per month in Samara vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Samara $5,050
Montreal $4,152

Samara is about 1% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.84 ₡4,864

$18.82 CA$26.61

-42.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₡27.9K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-11.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,250

$10.66 CA$15.06

9.85%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,965

$3.84 CA$5.43

14.06%

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

$2.72 ₡1,218

$1.92 CA$2.71

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡851

$1.54 CA$2.18

23.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,464

$6.23 CA$8.81

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ₡2,043

$7.10 CA$10.03

-35.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₡1,056

$2.31 CA$3.27

2.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₡1,407

$3.14 CA$4.44

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,075

$3.21 CA$4.54

-25.23%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,556

$3.52 CA$4.97

-1.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,812

$12.81 CA$18.11

-16.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,746

$11.46 CA$16.20

-7.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.85 ₡4,864

$13.39 CA$18.92

-18.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 ₡2,252

$3.14 CA$4.43

59.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.44 CA$2.03

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,153

$3.47 CA$4.91

38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,728

$3.07 CA$4.34

25.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,728

$1.90 CA$2.69

102.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.61 ₡1,618

$1.77 CA$2.50

103.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡483

$2.34 CA$3.31

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₡1,445

$1.55 CA$2.19

107.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.40 ₡2,423

$11.38 CA$16.09

-52.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.51 ₡8,752

$10.63 CA$15.03

83.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,254

$2.27 CA$3.21

23.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,056

$2.82 CA$3.99

-16.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡613

$2.66 CA$3.76

-48.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₡1,078

$3.20 CA$4.53

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡693

$1.48 CA$2.09

4.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,793

$32.88 CA$46.48

-74.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₡668

$1.34 CA$1.90

11.19%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-21.08%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

75.86%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$76.0 CA$107

23.34%

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

$36.05 ₡16.2K

$33.95 CA$48.00

6.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.1K

$42.31 CA$59.8

37.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 ₡32.7K

$29.76 CA$42.07

145.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$7.53 ₡3,376

$11.15 CA$15.77

-32.47%

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

$497 ₡223.0K

$507 CA$717

-1.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,064 ₡2.7M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-62.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 ₡29.2K

$57.6 CA$81.4

13.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ₡24.9K

$37.58 CA$53.1

47.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡58.6K

$91.9 CA$130

42.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.2K

$110 CA$155

22.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 ₡624.9K

$1,260 CA$1,782

10.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 ₡419.2K

$948 CA$1,340

-1.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 ₡1.6M

$2,137 CA$3,021

71.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,613 ₡1.2M

$1,614 CA$2,281

61.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 ₡2.2M

$4,960 CA$7,011

0.89%

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 Samara: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samara

$935 46.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 1.4% $13

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$389 19.4%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 10.8% $42

Eating Out

Samara

$218 10.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 31.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$188 9.4%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 19% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$174 8.7%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 23.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$88 4.4%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 40.8% $36

Getting Around

Samara

$16 * 0.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 532% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,393 in Samara 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 Samara versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in Samara vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Samara

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

2 h ahead of Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

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 20, 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 20, 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

Samara Montreal 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Samara
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

Samara vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 1% more than Samara, 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 $3,010 per month in Samara 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 Samara, 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 Samara 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 $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Samara, where all-in costs run around $2,007, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Samara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Samara costs $2,007 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 Samara. 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.