A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Cabo San Lucas vs. Montreal for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Cabo San Lucas or Montreal?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Cabo San Lucas and Montreal can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Cabo San Lucas or Montreal?

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas ("Cabo") is on the far southern end of the Baja Peninsula. It has countless resorts and activities for visitors. There are world class golf courses, fine dining options, and five star resorts. Prior to the 1980s, Cabo was a quiet fishing village but with the construction of a nearby airport in 1977, the city rapidly grew into one of Mexico's most popular resort vacation spots. Today, Cabo has one of the country's most vibrant nightlife scenes. It also has plenty of water sport activities, and a great beach scene.

Montreal

While Quebec City is the political capital of Quebec Province, Montreal is the economic and cultural capital. It's also the second largest city in Canada, with a population of about 1.9 million and 4 million in the metropolitan area. It's the second largest French speaking city in the world behind Paris.

Montreal is a very trendy and vibrant city with an active nightlife and countless activities to enjoy. It's located on an island in the St. Lawrence River and has a humid continental climate. There are four distinct seasons. Summers are warm or hot and humid. Spring and fall are mild and winters are cold and snowy. You can expect about 2 meters of snow every year, but there are also more than 2,000 hours of sunshine annually.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Mexico, The Best Historical Tours in Mexico, The Best Train & Rail Tours in Canada, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in Canada.


Which place is cheaper, Montreal or Cabo San Lucas?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Cabo San Lucas is $139, while the average daily cost in Montreal is $209. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Cabo San Lucas and Montreal in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Cabo San Lucas $63
    Montreal $131
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Cabo San Lucas $126
    Montreal $262
Compare Hotels in Cabo San Lucas and Montreal

Looking for a hotel in Cabo San Lucas or Montreal? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Cabo San Lucas


Hotels in Montreal


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Cabo San Lucas Hotel Prices and Montreal Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Cabo San Lucas $28
    Montreal $20

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cabo San Lucas

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cabo San Lucas:

  • Los Cabos Airport (SJD): Transfer to Cabo San Lucas Port: $436
  • Roundtrip Private Transfer from Airport to Pacific Side: $300
  • Transfer from Airport to Cabo San Lucas: $300
  • Los Cabos Luxury Private Tesla Transfer from Airport to the Pacifica Area: $293
  • Private All Inclusive Diamante Area Roundtrip Airport Transfer: $280
  • Los Cabos Luxury Private Tesla Transfer from Airport to Cabo San Lucas Area: $261
  • Private Transfer from Accommodation to Restaurant in Los Cabos: $250
  • Private Transfer from Los Cabos Airport to Cabo San Lucas: $250
  • Private All Inclusive Cabo San Lucas Roundtrip Airport Transfer: $250
  • Private Transfer from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz: $240
  • Roundtrip Private Transfer from Airport to Cabo San Lucas: $240
  • Los Cabos Luxury Private Tesla Airport Transfer: $236

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Montreal

Also for Montreal, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • 8 Passengers Transfer from or to Montreal Airport YUL to Montreal City Center : $223
  • Departure Private Transfer: Montreal to Montreal Airport YUL in Business Car: $117
  • Departure Private Transfer: Montreal to Montreal Airport YUL in Luxury SUV: $163
  • Departure Transfer Montreal to Montreal Airport by Limos or Bus: $153
  • Downtown Direct: Montreal's Exclusive Airport Transfer: $79
  • Le Terminal Cruise Port to Québec Airport YQB Departure Transfer: $57
  • Montreal Best Private Transfer services : $82
  • Montreal Private Transfer to Montreal Airport YUL in Business Car: $117
  • Montreal Private Transfer to Montreal Airport YUL in Luxury SUV: $163
  • Arrival Transfer from International Airport: $65
  • Private Departure Transfer to Montreal Airport YUL: $116
  • Private One-way Montreal Airport Transfer To/From Montreal: $58

Is it cheaper to fly into Cabo San Lucas or Montreal?

Prices for flights to both Montreal and Cabo San Lucas change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Cabo San Lucas $51
    Montreal $36

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cabo San Lucas

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cabo San Lucas.

  • Sunset Dinner Cruise with Domestic Open Bar: $64
  • Tasting Cabo San Lucas Like a Local Food Tour: $70
  • Cabo San Lucas Sunset Cruise with Dinner and Open Bar: $75
  • Seafood Galore, Los Cabos Food Tour: $80
  • Sea to Table Fisherman's Seafood Tour in Cabo San Lucas: $80
  • Sunset Dinner Cruise with Tequila & tacos: $85
  • San Jose del Cabo Morning Food Tour: $86
  • Parrillada dinner with a Private Chef in your villa/condo in Cabo or San Jose: $86
  • San José del Cabo for Meat Lovers Food Tour: $90
  • Catch of the day dinner in your private villa/condo in Cabo or San Jose del Cabo: $90
  • Private Mexican Cooking Class in Your Cabo San Lucas Villa or Condo: $90
  • Cabo Sunset Dinner Cruise: Fajitas, Lands End and Party: $94

Typical Food Prices in Montreal

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Montreal:


  • Tim Hortons breakfast and coffee
    $8.97

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Montreal

For Montreal, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Cooking Class and Tasting Menu with Michelin Chef: $50
  • Le Bateau-Mouche À La Carte Menu Dinner Cruise: $58
  • No Diet Club: Walking food Tour with many tastings: $59
  • Beyond the Market Food Tour by Spade & Palacio: $74
  • Montreal Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $74
  • Old Montreal Food & Drink Tour by Local Montreal Food Tours: $103
  • Montréal: 5-Course Dinner Cruise with Music & VIP Option: $160
  • Personalized Private Food Tour with a Local Foodie: $206
  • Cooking Class in Montreal with a Michelin-Star Trained Chef: $224

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Cabo San Lucas $43
    Montreal $21

Tours and Activities in Cabo San Lucas

Here are a few actual costs in Cabo San Lucas for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Glass Bottom Boat Sightseeing Tour in Cabo San Lucas: $23
  • Glass Bottom Boat Tour: $20
  • Magical Todos Santos Tour, Camel ranch, Lunch & Tequila: $119
  • OffRoad 4X4 UTV Adventure with Lunch & Tequila : $199
  • Romantic tour in Cabo San Lucas: $186
  • Round Trip to Touristic Corridor : $180
  • Traditional Tequila Tasting Experience with Jorge Cuervo: $55
  • Your Own Private Luxury Yacht Experience in Cabo, Lunch included: $1.20
  • #1 Snorkeling Tour in Catamaran. Open bar & Snacks included: $80
  • "Exclusive Cabo San Lucas Trimaran Experience with Snorkeling": $180
  • 2-Hour ATV Riding Experience in San Jose del Cabo: $110
  • 2-Hour Camel Ride Beach and Desert Adventure Experience: $100

Typical Entertainment Prices in Montreal

For Montreal, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:


  • Botanical Gardens (family of 4)
    $53

Tours and Activities in Montreal

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Montreal.

  • First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.21
  • Montreal self-guided tour App - multilingual AudioGuide: $4.28
  • Montréal's Mile End to Outremont: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $5.20
  • Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt & Tour: $7.49
  • Escape Game and Tour: $8.56
  • APP Self-Guided Tours Montreal with Audioguide: $8.74
  • Montreal Art Center & Museum Audio Guided Tour: $10
  • McCord Stewart Museum : Entry Ticket: $15
  • Montreal Zipline Adventure: $15
  • Self-Guided Old Town Scavenger Hunt Walking Tour: $15
  • Montreal Old Port: Urban Zipline Ticket: $16
  • Making Their Mark: Montreal Jewish History Walking Tour: $22

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Cabo San Lucas $28
    Montreal $16

Sample the Local Flavors in Cabo San Lucas

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Cabo San Lucas:

  • Cabo Bar Crawl - The BEST Bar and Clubs in Cabo : $55
  • Wine Tasting Sunset Cruise Tour in San Jose del Cabo: $190

Typical Alcohol Prices in Montreal

Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Montreal:


  • Vodka
    $18

Sample the Local Flavors in Montreal

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Montreal:

  • Haunted Montreal Pub Crawl: $22
  • Guided Bar Crawl with Free Shots and Club Entry: $42


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cabo San Lucas and Montreal, we can see that Montreal is more expensive. And not only is Cabo San Lucas much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Cabo San Lucas would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cabo San Lucas and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Montreal would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Montreal than you might in Cabo San Lucas.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cabo San Lucas Expensive? and Is Montreal Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Cabo San Lucas or Montreal?

Montreal has a larger population, and is about 80 times larger than the population of Cabo San Lucas. When comparing the sizes of Cabo San Lucas and Montreal, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.