Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Diego, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $4,047 in San Diego, CA, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in San Diego, CA
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San Diego, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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San Diego, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,047

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,047 per month in San Diego, CA vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

San Diego, CA $4,047
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $6,129 per month in San Diego, CA vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

San Diego, CA $6,129
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $8,211 per month in San Diego, CA vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

San Diego, CA $8,211
Montreal $4,092

San Diego, CA costs about 102% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Diego, CA and Montreal sit above the global median – San Diego, CA by 202%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.60 $24.60

$19.31 CA$27.52

27.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$75.5 CA$108

32.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 $13.54

$10.63 CA$15.15

27.38%

Cappuccino

$6.02 $6.02

$3.93 CA$5.60

53.18%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.92 CA$2.73

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.48 CA$2.11

82.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.03 $8.03

$6.30 CA$8.98

27.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.95 $10.95

$7.19 CA$10.24

52.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.22 CA$3.17

-40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$5.53 $5.53

$3.06 CA$4.36

80.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.94 CA$4.19

68.03%

Eggs

$7.00 $7.00

$3.53 CA$5.03

98.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 $17.47

$13.19 CA$18.79

32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.44 $14.44

$11.24 CA$16.02

28.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.69 $20.69

$13.81 CA$19.69

49.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.40 CA$4.85

39.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.44 CA$2.06

34.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.26 CA$4.65

36.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.88 CA$4.10

77.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 $3.17

$1.86 CA$2.65

70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.82 CA$2.60

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.43 CA$3.46

-11.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.52 CA$2.17

36.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$11.45 CA$16.32

2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.61 $16.61

$10.36 CA$14.76

60.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.22 CA$3.16

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 $3.23

$2.82 CA$4.02

14.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.58 CA$3.67

-3.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 $71.0

$76.9 CA$110

-7.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.25 CA$4.64

-5.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.48 CA$2.11

38.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.65 $27.65

$33.04 CA$47.09

-16.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.36 CA$1.94

19.85%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

34.90%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

28.45%

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

$255 $255

$76.1 CA$109

234.97%

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

$74.5 $74.5

$34.68 CA$49.43

114.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.3 $86.3

$42.69 CA$60.9

102.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.3 $71.3

$28.94 CA$41.26

146.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.19 $24.19

$20.33 CA$28.97

18.99%

Cinema Ticket

$19.86 $19.86

$11.21 CA$15.98

77.16%

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

$1,938 $1,938

$505 CA$720

283.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.8K $36.8K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

129.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 $66.2

$58.5 CA$83.4

13.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 $55.0

$38.00 CA$54.2

44.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$92.7 CA$132

22.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 $147

$106 CA$151

39.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,255 $3,255

$1,240 CA$1,768

162.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,381 $2,381

$986 CA$1,405

141.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,549 $5,549

$2,102 CA$2,996

164.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,363 $4,363

$1,615 CA$2,302

170.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,042 $8,042

$5,043 CA$7,188

59.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,489 $6,489

$3,830 CA$5,459

69.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,856 $4,856

$2,920 CA$4,163

66.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.7

4.46

50.22%

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

Last update for San Diego, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Diego, CA

$2.4K 58.8%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 58.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

San Diego, CA

$480 11.9%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 28.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Diego, CA

$416 10.3%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 63.1% $262

Eating Out

San Diego, CA

$395 9.8%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 25.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

San Diego, CA

$172 4.3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 22.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

San Diego, CA

$111 2.7%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 53.7% $60

Getting Around

San Diego, CA

$94 2.3%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 3.8% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,255 in San Diego, CA versus $1,240 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 66% higher in San Diego, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in San Diego, CA versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $480 vs $344 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Diego, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

3 h ahead of San Diego, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,386,932

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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San Diego, CA Montreal 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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San Diego, CA
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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

San Diego, CA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Diego, CA costs about 102% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,071 per month in San Diego, CA and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in San Diego, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in San Diego, CA and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,003, than in San Diego, CA at $4,047. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Diego, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $4,047 in San Diego, CA. 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 Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Diego, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.