Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acton, MA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $3,193 in Acton, MA, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Acton, MA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

154

Cost of Living Index in Acton, MA
Learn more

Acton, MA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Acton, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,193

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,193 per month in Acton, MA vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Acton, MA $3,193
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $4,790 per month in Acton, MA vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Acton, MA $4,790
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $6,388 per month in Acton, MA vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Acton, MA $6,388
Montreal $4,152

Acton, MA costs about 58% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Acton, MA and Montreal sit above the global median – Acton, MA by 136%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.14 $18.14

$18.82 CA$26.61

-3.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.9 $95.9

$70.3 CA$99.4

36.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 $13.47

$10.66 CA$15.06

26.36%

Cappuccino

$5.44 $5.44

$3.84 CA$5.43

41.67%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$1.92 CA$2.71

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.54 CA$2.18

75.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.08 $5.08

$6.23 CA$8.81

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 $7.81

$7.10 CA$10.03

10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.31 CA$3.27

-58.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.14 CA$4.44

-27.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.28 $5.28

$3.21 CA$4.54

64.49%

Eggs

$4.79 $4.79

$3.52 CA$4.97

36.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 $11.13

$12.81 CA$18.11

-13.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.57 $14.57

$11.46 CA$16.20

27.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.87 $17.87

$13.39 CA$18.92

33.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.14 CA$4.43

42.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.44 CA$2.03

19.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.47 CA$4.91

-17.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$3.07 CA$4.34

32.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.90 CA$2.69

1.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.77 CA$2.50

59.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.34 CA$3.31

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.62 $13.62

$11.38 CA$16.09

19.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.12 $9.12

$10.63 CA$15.03

-14.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$2.27 CA$3.21

-3.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.82 CA$3.99

51.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$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)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.34 CA$1.90

-30.60%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

30.50%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

35.43%

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

$316 $316

$76.0 CA$107

316.17%

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

$60.8 $60.8

$33.95 CA$48.00

79.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.4 $73.4

$42.31 CA$59.8

73.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.68 $24.68

$29.76 CA$42.07

-17.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$11.15 CA$15.77

15.78%

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

$1,857 $1,857

$507 CA$717

266.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K $29.9K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

86.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 $57.5

$57.6 CA$81.4

-0.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 $38.97

$37.58 CA$53.1

3.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.7 $80.7

$91.9 CA$130

-12.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$110 CA$155

-6.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,698 $2,698

$1,260 CA$1,782

114.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 $1,898

$948 CA$1,340

100.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,948 $2,948

$2,137 CA$3,021

37.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,557 $3,557

$1,614 CA$2,281

120.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,016 $9,016

$2,827 CA$3,997

218.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

4.48

48.21%

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

Last update for Acton, MA: 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

Acton, MA

$1.9K 59.5%

Montreal

$948 47% 50.1% $951

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acton, MA

$450 14.1%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 66.2% $298

Groceries & Markets

Acton, MA

$354 * 11.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 2.1% $7.4

Eating Out

Acton, MA

$314 9.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 8.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Acton, MA

$126 3.9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 6.3% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Acton, MA

$51 1.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 3.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Acton, MA

- * 0%

Montreal

$99 4.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,698 in Acton, MA 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 219% higher in Acton, MA, 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 $96.0 in Acton, MA versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Acton, MA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

Same time as Acton, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,596

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acton, MA Montreal 380 km

From you

Acton, MA
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

Acton, MA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acton, MA costs about 58% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,789 per month in Acton, MA 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 Montreal, 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 $3,193 in Acton, MA and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 58%.

Kindergarten costs $1,857 per month in Acton, MA and $507 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Acton, MA at $3,193. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Acton, MA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $3,193 in Acton, MA. 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 Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Acton, MA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.