Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,253 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

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

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,253

/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 $2,253 per month in San Juan vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

San Juan $2,253
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,373 per month in San Juan vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

San Juan $3,373
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,494 per month in San Juan vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

San Juan $4,494
Montreal $4,152

San Juan costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan and Montreal sit above the global median – San Juan by 67%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.43 $19.43

$18.82 CA$26.61

3.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 $82.3

$70.3 CA$99.4

17.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 $9.43

$10.66 CA$15.06

-11.54%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$3.84 CA$5.43

-7.29%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$1.92 CA$2.71

-4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.54 CA$2.18

-5.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$6.23 CA$8.81

-51.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$7.10 CA$10.03

-27.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.31 CA$3.27

-5.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.14 CA$4.44

17.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$3.21 CA$4.54

-26.48%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$3.52 CA$4.97

108.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$12.81 CA$18.11

-0.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$11.46 CA$16.20

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$13.39 CA$18.92

-1.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$3.14 CA$4.43

63.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.44 CA$2.03

84.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$3.47 CA$4.91

44.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.07 CA$4.34

60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.90 CA$2.69

95.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$1.77 CA$2.50

120.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.34 CA$3.31

50.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.55 CA$2.19

3.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$11.38 CA$16.09

3.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$10.63 CA$15.03

49.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.27 CA$3.21

35.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.82 CA$3.99

45.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 $0.71

$2.66 CA$3.76

-73.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 $29.97

$77.3 CA$109

-61.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$3.20 CA$4.53

-20.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.48 CA$2.09

-1.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$32.88 CA$46.48

28.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.34 CA$1.90

-7.46%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

43.26%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

41.19%

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

$327 $327

$76.0 CA$107

330.63%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$33.95 CA$48.00

101.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$42.31 CA$59.8

66.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.46 $41.46

$29.76 CA$42.07

39.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.70 $7.70

$20.28 CA$28.67

-62.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 $10.40

$11.15 CA$15.77

-6.73%

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

$821 $821

$507 CA$717

61.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-22.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$57.6 CA$81.4

-2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$37.58 CA$53.1

63.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$91.9 CA$130

18.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$110 CA$155

5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

$1,260 CA$1,782

42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 $846

$948 CA$1,340

-10.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,972 $2,972

$2,137 CA$3,021

39.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,614 CA$2,281

-8.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,283 $7,283

$4,960 CA$7,011

46.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 $3,377

$3,838 CA$5,425

-12.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,704 $2,704

$2,827 CA$3,997

-4.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

4.48

46.21%

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

Last update for San Juan: 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

San Juan

$846 37.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 12% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$466 20.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 67.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$417 18.5%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 16.9% $71

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 11.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 8.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 13.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.8%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 16.4% $10

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 131% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,802 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 5% higher in Montreal, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in San Juan versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $417 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 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).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Montreal 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min 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

San Juan costs about 12% 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 $3,379 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 Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in San Juan, 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 $82.0 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in San Juan at $2,253. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,253 in San Juan. 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 Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.