Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abilene, TX and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abilene, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abilene, TX versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Abilene, TX $2,186
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,178 in Abilene, TX versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Abilene, TX $3,178
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,169 in Abilene, TX versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Abilene, TX $4,169
Montreal $4,152

Living in Abilene, TX is roughly 8% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abilene, TX 62% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 $18.06

$18.82 CA$26.61

-4.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 $64.4

$70.3 CA$99.4

-8.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 $9.13

$10.66 CA$15.06

-14.35%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.84 CA$5.43

42.45%

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

$2.38 $2.38

$1.92 CA$2.71

23.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.54 CA$2.18

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 $4.97

$6.23 CA$8.81

-20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$7.10 CA$10.03

-18.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.31 CA$3.27

-55.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 $2.32

$3.14 CA$4.44

-26.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$3.21 CA$4.54

75.39%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$3.52 CA$4.97

5.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 $8.39

$12.81 CA$18.11

-34.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.02 $13.02

$11.46 CA$16.20

13.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 $14.06

$13.39 CA$18.92

5.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.14 CA$4.43

7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.44 CA$2.03

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.67 $4.67

$3.47 CA$4.91

34.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$3.07 CA$4.34

72.64%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$1.90 CA$2.69

122.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 $3.51

$1.77 CA$2.50

98.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.34 CA$3.31

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.55 CA$2.19

26.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$11.38 CA$16.09

-48.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.31 $11.31

$10.63 CA$15.03

6.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.27 CA$3.21

12.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 $4.11

$2.82 CA$3.99

45.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.66 CA$3.76

-35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 $53.3

$77.3 CA$109

-31.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.86 $14.86

$32.88 CA$46.48

-54.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.34 CA$1.90

-35.82%

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

$19.1K $19.1K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-32.11%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

24.62%

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

$236 $236

$76.0 CA$107

211.12%

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

$58.7 $58.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

72.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 $61.3

$42.31 CA$59.8

44.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.16 $20.16

$29.76 CA$42.07

-32.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.02 $12.02

$11.15 CA$15.77

7.80%

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

$507 CA$717

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.11 $42.11

$57.6 CA$81.4

-26.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.74 $19.74

$37.58 CA$53.1

-47.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.9 $62.9

$91.9 CA$130

-31.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 $65.6

$110 CA$155

-40.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 $1,160

$1,260 CA$1,782

-7.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 $981

$948 CA$1,340

3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,847 $1,847

$2,137 CA$3,021

-13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 $1,601

$1,614 CA$2,281

-0.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,667 $1,667

$4,960 CA$7,011

-66.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,711 $1,711

$3,838 CA$5,425

-55.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,281 $3,281

$2,827 CA$3,997

16.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

4.48

44.87%

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

Last update for Abilene, TX: 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

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9%

Montreal

$948 47% 3.4% $34

Groceries & Markets

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 5.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 57.3% $204

Eating Out

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 1.1% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 55.8% $48

Getting Around

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 63.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Abilene, TX

$44 2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 17.8% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Abilene, TX and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Abilene, TX vs $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $346, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h ahead of Abilene, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,182

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Abilene, TX Montreal 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Abilene, TX
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

Abilene, TX vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abilene, TX and Montreal differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,186 vs $2,018 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Abilene, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Abilene, TX versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 45% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Abilene, TX and Montreal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Montreal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.