Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in San José vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

San José $913
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in San José vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

San José $1,449
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in San José vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

San José $1,985
Montreal $4,187

San José is about 56% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San José sits 33% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$18.84 CA$26.63

-31.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$73.2 CA$104

-40.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$10.54 CA$14.90

31.12%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$3.97 CA$5.61

22.92%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$1.94 CA$2.74

22.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$1.57 CA$2.22

39.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$6.42 CA$9.08

-54.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$7.20 CA$10.19

-51.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$2.32 CA$3.28

-57.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$3.19 CA$4.51

-36.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$3.19 CA$4.50

-53.92%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$3.68 CA$5.20

-28.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$13.24 CA$18.72

-9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$11.69 CA$16.53

-37.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$13.98 CA$19.76

-13.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$3.14 CA$4.44

-61.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$1.45 CA$2.05

6.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$3.38 CA$4.78

-64.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$3.11 CA$4.40

-50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$1.93 CA$2.72

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$1.83 CA$2.58

-30.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$2.36 CA$3.34

-36.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$1.50 CA$2.12

32.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$11.12 CA$15.73

-11.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$10.60 CA$14.98

-22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$2.22 CA$3.14

37.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$2.84 CA$4.01

17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$3.23 CA$4.56

8.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$1.48 CA$2.10

133.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$32.22 CA$45.55

-69.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$1.36 CA$1.92

58.09%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$27.6K CA$39.1K

31.70%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$21.2K CA$30.0K

88.99%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$77.0 CA$109

47.07%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$34.14 CA$48.26

-30.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$42.19 CA$59.7

11.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$11.47 CA$16.22

7.67%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$506 CA$716

-2.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-58.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$57.3 CA$81.0

54.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$38.10 CA$53.9

-1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$91.9 CA$130

78.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$110 CA$155

6.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.61%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 36.9% $95

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 19.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 16.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 27.1% $50

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 118% $29

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 383% $80

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Montreal

$977 47.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San José versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $351 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

1 h behind San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 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 UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San José Montreal 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San José
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

San José vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 126% more than San José, 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 $1,369 per month in San José and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San José and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Montreal at $2,059. In San José it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. San José costs $913 versus $2,059 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 San José. 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.