Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $890 per month in San Juan vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

San Juan $890
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,389 per month in San Juan vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

San Juan $1,389
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,888 per month in San Juan vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

San Juan $1,888
Montreal $4,152

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

San Juan sits 34% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

$18.82 CA$26.61

-64.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

$70.3 CA$99.4

-44.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

$10.66 CA$15.06

13.32%

Cappuccino

$2.59 ARS 3,938

$3.84 CA$5.43

-32.55%

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

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$1.92 CA$2.71

9.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ARS 2,761

$1.54 CA$2.18

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 5,930

$6.23 CA$8.81

-37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ARS 6,799

$7.10 CA$10.03

-36.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 ARS 2,101

$2.31 CA$3.27

-40.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ARS 2,195

$3.14 CA$4.44

-53.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,124

$3.21 CA$4.54

-56.39%

Eggs

$1.44 ARS 2,184

$3.52 CA$4.97

-59.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.84 ARS 4,305

$12.81 CA$18.11

-77.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 ARS 9,448

$11.46 CA$16.20

-45.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

$13.39 CA$18.92

-18.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$3.14 CA$4.43

-55.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,108

$1.44 CA$2.03

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ARS 2,037

$3.47 CA$4.91

-61.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,193

$3.07 CA$4.34

-52.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,128

$1.90 CA$2.69

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ARS 2,098

$1.77 CA$2.50

-22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ARS 2,129

$2.34 CA$3.31

-40.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,183

$1.55 CA$2.19

-7.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ARS 4,117

$11.38 CA$16.09

-76.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 ARS 7,433

$10.63 CA$15.03

-53.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ARS 2,136

$2.27 CA$3.21

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 ARS 2,178

$2.82 CA$3.99

-48.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ARS 1,460

$2.66 CA$3.76

-63.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ARS 3,006

$3.20 CA$4.53

-38.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,495

$1.48 CA$2.09

-33.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.84 ARS 7,351

$32.88 CA$46.48

-85.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ARS 1,782

$1.34 CA$1.90

-12.69%

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

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-5.04%

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

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

71.42%

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

$144 ARS 218.7K

$76.0 CA$107

89.73%

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

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

$33.95 CA$48.00

-70.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

$42.31 CA$59.8

-57.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

$29.76 CA$42.07

2.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

$11.15 CA$15.77

-37.85%

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

$172 ARS 260.5K

$507 CA$717

-66.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-74.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ARS 162.3K

$57.6 CA$81.4

85.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

$37.58 CA$53.1

13.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

$91.9 CA$130

-36.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

$110 CA$155

-67.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ARS 378.2K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-80.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$198 ARS 301.1K

$948 CA$1,340

-79.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ARS 747.1K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-76.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 ARS 607.2K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-75.20%

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)

$700 ARS 1.1M

$2,827 CA$3,997

-75.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

1105.36%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$198 22.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 378% $749

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$190 21.3%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 82.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$172 19.3%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 11.5% $20

Eating Out

San Juan

$166 18.6%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 73.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 21.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$44 5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 17.6% $7.8

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 816% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $249 in San Juan 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.

Salaries run about 304% higher in Montreal, 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 $39.00 in San Juan versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $346 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Montreal 8,580 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Montreal costs about 127% more than San Juan, 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 $1,335 per month in San Juan 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 San Juan, 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 $39.00 in San Juan 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 83% 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 Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Montreal at $2,018. In San Juan 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 Juan costs $890 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 San Juan. 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.