Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Marta and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Marta: $1,436 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Marta
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Santa Marta Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Santa Marta

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,436

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Santa Marta vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,436
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,691 per month in Santa Marta vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,691
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,946 per month in Santa Marta vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Marta $1,946
Montreal $4,152

Santa Marta is about 29% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Marta and Montreal sit above the global median – Santa Marta by 6%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

Cappuccino

$3.85 COP 12.2K

$3.84 CA$5.43

0.26%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 COP 4,834

$2.31 CA$3.27

-34.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 COP 6,825

$3.14 CA$4.44

-31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 COP 3,737

$3.21 CA$4.54

-63.24%

Eggs

$2.55 COP 8,070

$3.52 CA$4.97

-27.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 COP 25.9K

$12.81 CA$18.11

-36.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 COP 31.0K

$11.46 CA$16.20

-14.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 COP 36.2K

$13.39 CA$18.92

-14.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.14 CA$4.43

31.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 COP 3,110

$1.44 CA$2.03

-31.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.12 COP 3,553

$3.47 CA$4.91

-67.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,308

$3.07 CA$4.34

-35.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 COP 2,881

$1.90 CA$2.69

-52.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 COP 4,888

$1.77 CA$2.50

-12.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 COP 3,081

$2.34 CA$3.31

-58.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 COP 2,037

$1.55 CA$2.19

-58.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 COP 13.0K

$11.38 CA$16.09

-63.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.44 COP 55.3K

$10.63 CA$15.03

64.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 COP 4,566

$2.27 CA$3.21

-36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,507

$2.82 CA$3.99

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 COP 3,086

$2.66 CA$3.76

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 COP 10.2K

$3.20 CA$4.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 COP 4,104

$1.34 CA$1.90

-3.73%

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

$24.0K COP 75.9M

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-14.92%

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

$33.6K COP 106.6M

$19.6K CA$27.8K

71.27%

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

$154 COP 489.7K

$76.0 CA$107

103.32%

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

$9.26 COP 29.3K

$33.95 CA$48.00

-72.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.25 COP 70.6K

$42.31 CA$59.8

-47.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.58 COP 100.1K

$29.76 CA$42.07

6.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 COP 16.1K

$11.15 CA$15.77

-54.53%

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

$507 CA$717

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K COP 34.1M

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-32.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 COP 275.6K

$57.6 CA$81.4

51.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 COP 201.4K

$37.58 CA$53.1

69.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 COP 293.6K

$91.9 CA$130

0.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 COP 279.6K

$110 CA$155

-19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 COP 3.5M

$1,260 CA$1,782

-13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 COP 2.4M

$948 CA$1,340

-21.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$2,137 CA$3,021

-48.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$628 COP 2.0M

$1,614 CA$2,281

-61.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,098 COP 3.5M

$4,960 CA$7,011

-77.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 COP 3.9M

$3,838 CA$5,425

-68.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 COP 1.7M

$2,827 CA$3,997

-81.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.54

4.48

336.16%

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

Last update for Santa Marta: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Marta

$743 51.8%

Montreal

$948 47% 27.6% $205

Groceries & Markets

Santa Marta

$263 18.3%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 31.9% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Marta

$186 13%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 18.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Marta

$149 10.4%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 10.5% $16

Eating Out

Santa Marta

$46 * 3.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 522% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Marta

$42 2.9%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 24.8% $10

Getting Around

Santa Marta

$7.1 * 0.5%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 1288% $91

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Santa Marta 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 429% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Santa Marta

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

1 h ahead of Santa Marta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

500,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Marta Montreal 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Montreal costs about 41% more than Santa Marta, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,153 per month in Santa Marta 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 Marta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,436 in Santa Marta and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 41%.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 Santa Marta, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Marta 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 Marta costs $1,436 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 Marta. 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.