Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,546 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,546 per month in Santa Teresa vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Teresa $1,546
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $2,318 per month in Santa Teresa vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Teresa $2,318
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $3,090 per month in Santa Teresa vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Teresa $3,090
Montreal $4,187

Santa Teresa is about 25% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Teresa and Montreal sit above the global median – Santa Teresa by 14%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 ₡4,519

$18.84 CA$26.63

-46.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.44 ₡19.5K

$73.2 CA$104

-40.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 ₡4,144

$10.54 CA$14.90

-12.33%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₡1,673

$3.97 CA$5.61

-6.05%

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

$1.97 ₡883

$1.94 CA$2.74

1.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₡745

$1.57 CA$2.22

5.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 ₡1,344

$6.42 CA$9.08

-53.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 ₡2,055

$7.20 CA$10.19

-36.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₡887

$2.32 CA$3.28

-14.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,301

$3.19 CA$4.51

-9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 ₡990

$3.19 CA$4.50

-30.72%

Eggs

$2.93 ₡1,312

$3.68 CA$5.20

-20.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 ₡4,446

$13.24 CA$18.72

-25.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 ₡4,173

$11.69 CA$16.53

-20.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 ₡6,116

$13.98 CA$19.76

-2.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 ₡2,068

$3.14 CA$4.44

46.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡681

$1.45 CA$2.05

4.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 ₡1,898

$3.38 CA$4.78

25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,377

$3.11 CA$4.40

-1.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 ₡1,437

$1.93 CA$2.72

65.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ₡1,180

$1.83 CA$2.58

43.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡466

$2.36 CA$3.34

-55.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,258

$1.50 CA$2.12

87.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₡2,277

$11.12 CA$15.73

-54.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.20 ₡6,368

$10.60 CA$14.98

33.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,058

$2.22 CA$3.14

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,149

$2.84 CA$4.01

-9.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 ₡449

$2.62 CA$3.71

-61.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡810

$3.23 CA$4.56

-43.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 ₡837

$1.48 CA$2.10

26.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.00 ₡3,589

$32.22 CA$45.55

-75.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡652

$1.36 CA$1.92

6.62%

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

$37.2K ₡16.7M

$27.6K CA$39.1K

34.45%

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

$32.8K ₡14.7M

$21.2K CA$30.0K

54.76%

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

$84.7 ₡38.0K

$77.0 CA$109

9.88%

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

$26.18 ₡11.7K

$34.14 CA$48.26

-23.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.65 ₡22.3K

$42.19 CA$59.7

17.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 ₡22.7K

$30.81 CA$43.56

64.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 ₡10.8K

$19.66 CA$27.79

21.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 ₡3,976

$11.47 CA$16.22

-22.67%

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

$573 ₡256.9K

$506 CA$716

13.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K ₡5.6M

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-22.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ₡28.2K

$57.3 CA$81.0

9.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 ₡22.9K

$38.10 CA$53.9

34.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡56.9K

$91.9 CA$130

37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.9K

$110 CA$155

-2.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 ₡314.1K

$1,237 CA$1,748

-43.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₡271.4K

$977 CA$1,381

-38.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,462 ₡655.5K

$2,180 CA$3,082

-32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 ₡435.0K

$1,608 CA$2,273

-39.68%

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 %)

10.17

4.48

127.01%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$605 39.1%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 61.4% $372

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$349 22.6%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 0.6% $2.1

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.4%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 51.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$160 10.4%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 4.4% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.1%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 14.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 21.3% $15

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 562% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $700 in Santa Teresa versus $1,237 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 $43.00 in Santa Teresa versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $351 – making Santa Teresa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

14:06 2:06 PM

2 h ahead of Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

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 Teresa Montreal 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Montreal costs about 33% more than Santa Teresa, 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 $2,319 per month in Santa Teresa and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Teresa, 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 $43.00 in Santa Teresa and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Teresa, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Santa Teresa 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 Teresa costs $1,546 versus $2,059 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 Teresa. 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.