Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Fe and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,071 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
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Santa Fe Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,071

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,071 per month in Santa Fe vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Fe $1,071
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,655 per month in Santa Fe vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Fe $1,655
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,239 per month in Santa Fe vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Fe $2,239
Montreal $4,152

Santa Fe is about 47% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Fe sits 21% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 ARS 15.1K

$18.82 CA$26.81

-47.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.60 ARS 57.0K

$70.3 CA$100

-46.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.68 ARS 19.2K

$10.66 CA$15.18

18.95%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ARS 2,556

$3.84 CA$5.47

-55.99%

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

$1.55 ARS 2,348

$1.92 CA$2.73

-19.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ARS 2,020

$1.54 CA$2.19

-13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 ARS 5,208

$6.23 CA$8.88

-44.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 ARS 7,572

$7.10 CA$10.11

-29.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 ARS 1,526

$2.31 CA$3.30

-56.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ARS 2,481

$3.14 CA$4.48

-47.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ARS 1,572

$3.21 CA$4.58

-67.60%

Eggs

$1.54 ARS 2,341

$3.52 CA$5.01

-56.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.60 ARS 13.0K

$12.81 CA$18.25

-32.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,200

$11.46 CA$16.33

-47.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 ARS 16.2K

$13.39 CA$19.07

-20.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,016

$3.14 CA$4.47

-36.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,298

$1.44 CA$2.05

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ARS 1,316

$3.47 CA$4.95

-74.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 ARS 3,602

$3.07 CA$4.38

-22.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ARS 867

$1.90 CA$2.71

-70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ARS 955

$1.77 CA$2.52

-64.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ARS 1,553

$2.34 CA$3.34

-56.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ARS 1,546

$1.55 CA$2.21

-34.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 ARS 4,715

$11.38 CA$16.21

-72.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 ARS 7,389

$10.63 CA$15.14

-54.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ARS 1,861

$2.27 CA$3.24

-45.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ARS 3,109

$2.82 CA$4.02

-27.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,570

$2.66 CA$3.79

-60.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ARS 1,538

$3.20 CA$4.56

-68.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,479

$1.48 CA$2.10

-33.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.83

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ARS 1,736

$1.34 CA$1.92

-14.93%

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

$20.0K ARS 30.3M

$28.2K CA$40.1K

-29.06%

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

$29.8K ARS 45.2M

$19.6K CA$28.0K

51.90%

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

$60.1 ARS 91.2K

$76.0 CA$108

-20.87%

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

$19.86 ARS 30.1K

$33.95 CA$48.36

-41.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 ARS 31.8K

$42.31 CA$60.3

-50.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.96 ARS 51.5K

$29.76 CA$42.38

14.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.89

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 ARS 7,327

$11.15 CA$15.88

-56.68%

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

$238 ARS 361.5K

$507 CA$722

-52.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 ARS 133.7K

$57.6 CA$82.0

53.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 ARS 91.6K

$37.58 CA$53.5

60.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ARS 173.7K

$91.9 CA$131

24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 212.8K

$110 CA$156

28.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ARS 777.2K

$1,260 CA$1,795

-59.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 ARS 545.9K

$948 CA$1,350

-62.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 ARS 1.4M

$2,137 CA$3,044

-56.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 ARS 923.1K

$1,614 CA$2,298

-62.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,064

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,466

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$847 ARS 1.3M

$2,827 CA$4,027

-70.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

4.48

2132.14%

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

Last update for Santa Fe: 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

Santa Fe

$360 33.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 163% $588

Groceries & Markets

Santa Fe

$199 18.5%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 74.5% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Fe

$182 17%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 26.5% $48

Eating Out

Santa Fe

$176 16.5%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 63.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Fe

$101 9.4%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 50.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Fe

$44 4.1%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 19.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 882% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $513 in Santa Fe 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 234% 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 $38.00 in Santa Fe versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $346 – making Santa Fe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

1 h behind Santa Fe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

391,164

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 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

Santa Fe Montreal 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Montreal costs about 88% more than Santa Fe, 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 $1,607 per month in Santa Fe 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 Fe, 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 $38.00 in Santa Fe 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 74% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Fe, where all-in costs run around $1,071, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Fe 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 Fe costs $1,071 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 Fe. 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.