Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Marcos, TX and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,361 in San Marcos, TX, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Marcos, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

115

Cost of Living Index in San Marcos, TX
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San Marcos, TX Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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San Marcos, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,361

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,361 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $2,361
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,510 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $3,510
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,658 per month in San Marcos, TX vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

San Marcos, TX $4,658
Montreal $4,152

San Marcos, TX costs about 17% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Marcos, TX and Montreal sit above the global median – San Marcos, TX by 75%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.98 $14.98

$18.82 CA$26.61

-20.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 $60.5

$70.3 CA$99.4

-13.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$10.66 CA$15.06

10.69%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$3.84 CA$5.43

22.92%

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

$2.90 $2.90

$1.92 CA$2.71

51.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$1.54 CA$2.18

12.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$6.23 CA$8.81

-17.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 $6.11

$7.10 CA$10.03

-13.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.31 CA$3.27

-67.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.14 CA$4.44

1.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.21 CA$4.54

16.51%

Eggs

$2.77 $2.77

$3.52 CA$4.97

-21.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 $10.06

$12.81 CA$18.11

-21.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.81 $9.81

$11.46 CA$16.20

-14.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 $12.95

$13.39 CA$18.92

-3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$3.14 CA$4.43

97.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.44 CA$2.03

-21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.58 $6.58

$3.47 CA$4.91

89.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.07 CA$4.34

57.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.90 CA$2.69

110.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.77 CA$2.50

64.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.34 CA$3.31

-21.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.55 CA$2.19

16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.49 $8.49

$11.38 CA$16.09

-25.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 $13.93

$10.63 CA$15.03

31.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.27 CA$3.21

-22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.82 CA$3.99

39.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.20 CA$4.53

42.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.48 CA$2.09

22.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.5 $59.5

$32.88 CA$46.48

80.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.34 CA$1.90

-39.55%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

28.03%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

27.47%

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

$134 $134

$76.0 CA$107

76.43%

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

$40.38 $40.38

$33.95 CA$48.00

18.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 $55.8

$42.31 CA$59.8

31.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 $68.9

$29.76 CA$42.07

131.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 $11.32

$11.15 CA$15.77

1.52%

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

$665 $665

$507 CA$717

31.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K $17.7K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

10.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 $59.4

$57.6 CA$81.4

3.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.15 $38.15

$37.58 CA$53.1

1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 $83.0

$91.9 CA$130

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$110 CA$155

11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 $1,350

$1,260 CA$1,782

7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 $1,258

$948 CA$1,340

32.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 $2,855

$2,137 CA$3,021

33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,205 $2,205

$1,614 CA$2,281

36.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,463 $2,463

$4,960 CA$7,011

-50.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 $1,874

$3,838 CA$5,425

-51.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,143 $3,143

$2,827 CA$3,997

11.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.48

43.97%

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

Last update for San Marcos, TX: 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 Marcos, TX

$1.3K 53.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 24.6% $310

Groceries & Markets

San Marcos, TX

$363 15.4%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 4.6% $17

Eating Out

San Marcos, TX

$268 11.4%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 7.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Marcos, TX

$230 9.8%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 33.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

San Marcos, TX

$136 5.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 2.1% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Marcos, TX

$92 3.9%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 43.1% $39

Getting Around

San Marcos, TX

$14 * 0.6%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 621% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,350 in San Marcos, TX 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 11% higher in San Marcos, TX, 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 $60.0 in San Marcos, TX versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in San Marcos, TX vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 San Marcos, TX

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

14:30 2:30 PM

1 h ahead of San Marcos, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,894

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 Marcos, TX Montreal 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

San Marcos, TX
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 Marcos, TX vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Marcos, TX costs about 17% more than Montreal, 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 $3,541 per month in San Marcos, TX 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Marcos, TX 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 5% more in San Marcos, TX, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in San Marcos, TX at $2,361. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Marcos, TX it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,361 in San Marcos, TX. 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 Marcos, TX makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.