Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Barbara: $1,721 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Santa Barbara
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Santa Barbara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Santa Barbara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,721

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,721 per month in Santa Barbara vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Barbara $1,721
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,727 per month in Santa Barbara vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Barbara $2,727
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,734 per month in Santa Barbara vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Barbara $3,734
Montreal $4,152

Santa Barbara is about 15% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Barbara and Montreal sit above the global median – Santa Barbara by 27%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 ₡5,551

$18.84 CA$26.63

-34.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 ₡27.0K

$73.2 CA$104

-17.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 ₡5,116

$10.54 CA$14.90

8.25%

Cappuccino

$4.57 ₡2,048

$3.97 CA$5.61

15.11%

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

$2.76 ₡1,240

$1.94 CA$2.74

42.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡837

$1.57 CA$2.22

19.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ₡1,436

$6.42 CA$9.08

-50.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₡1,942

$7.20 CA$10.19

-39.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 ₡1,082

$2.32 CA$3.28

3.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 ₡1,352

$3.19 CA$4.51

-5.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,118

$3.19 CA$4.50

-21.94%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,552

$3.68 CA$5.20

-5.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,766

$13.24 CA$18.72

-19.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₡4,625

$11.69 CA$16.53

-11.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ₡6,383

$13.98 CA$19.76

1.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 ₡2,232

$3.14 CA$4.44

58.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡736

$1.45 CA$2.05

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.84 ₡2,170

$3.38 CA$4.78

43.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,760

$3.11 CA$4.40

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,682

$1.93 CA$2.72

94.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,622

$1.83 CA$2.58

97.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡500

$2.36 CA$3.34

-52.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₡1,424

$1.50 CA$2.12

112.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 ₡2,632

$11.12 CA$15.73

-47.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.77 ₡8,864

$10.60 CA$14.98

86.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,293

$2.22 CA$3.14

29.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,637

$2.84 CA$4.01

28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡578

$2.62 CA$3.71

-50.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$3.23 CA$4.56

-25.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 ₡734

$1.48 CA$2.10

10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.69 ₡3,896

$32.22 CA$45.55

-73.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡694

$1.36 CA$1.92

13.97%

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

$22.4K ₡10.0M

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-19.00%

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

$34.7K ₡15.6M

$21.2K CA$30.0K

63.97%

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

$94.1 ₡42.2K

$77.0 CA$109

22.09%

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

$35.37 ₡15.9K

$34.14 CA$48.26

3.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 ₡26.7K

$42.19 CA$59.7

40.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 ₡33.2K

$30.81 CA$43.56

140.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 ₡3,422

$11.47 CA$16.22

-33.48%

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

$978 ₡438.7K

$506 CA$716

93.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.6M

$16.2K CA$23.0K

4.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 ₡31.9K

$57.3 CA$81.0

24.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$38.10 CA$53.9

47.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.3K

$91.9 CA$130

41.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.8K

$110 CA$155

21.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 ₡358.5K

$1,237 CA$1,748

-35.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡278.0K

$977 CA$1,381

-36.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 ₡861.5K

$2,180 CA$3,082

-11.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 ₡556.2K

$1,608 CA$2,273

-22.87%

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 %)

8.62

4.48

92.41%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Barbara

$620 36%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 57.6% $357

Groceries & Markets

Santa Barbara

$400 23.3%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 12.3% $49

Eating Out

Santa Barbara

$231 13.4%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 25.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Barbara

$189 11%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 18.8% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Barbara

$176 10.2%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 24% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Barbara

$89 5.2%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 39.8% $35

Getting Around

Santa Barbara

$16 * 0.9%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 537% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $799 in Santa Barbara 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Santa Barbara versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $400 in Santa Barbara vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Barbara

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:57 3:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

2 h ahead of Santa Barbara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 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 CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Barbara Montreal 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Barbara
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

Santa Barbara vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 17% more than Santa Barbara, 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 $2,582 per month in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Barbara and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Barbara, where all-in costs run around $1,721, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Barbara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Barbara costs $1,721 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 Santa Barbara. 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.