Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albert Lea, MN and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Albert Lea, MN: $1,944 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

95

Cost of Living Index in Albert Lea, MN
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Albert Lea, MN Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Albert Lea, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$1,944

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Albert Lea, MN $1,944
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,969 in Albert Lea, MN versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Albert Lea, MN $2,969
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,995 in Albert Lea, MN versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Albert Lea, MN $3,995
Montreal $4,187

Living in Albert Lea, MN costs roughly 6% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albert Lea, MN 43% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 $20.02

$18.84 CA$26.63

6.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$73.2 CA$104

38.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 $11.92

$10.54 CA$14.90

13.09%

Cappuccino

$6.29 $6.29

$3.97 CA$5.61

58.44%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.94 CA$2.74

57.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.57 CA$2.22

63.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 $4.88

$6.42 CA$9.08

-23.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$7.20 CA$10.19

-20.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.32 CA$3.28

-60.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.19 CA$4.51

-8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.19 CA$4.50

-31.97%

Eggs

$3.90 $3.90

$3.68 CA$5.20

5.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 $8.84

$13.24 CA$18.72

-33.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.56 $16.56

$11.69 CA$16.53

41.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 $18.96

$13.98 CA$19.76

35.62%

Apples (1kg)

$5.40 $5.40

$3.14 CA$4.44

71.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.45 CA$2.05

3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.38 CA$4.78

44.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.11 CA$4.40

19.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.93 CA$2.72

41.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.83 CA$2.58

21.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.36 CA$3.34

14.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.50 CA$2.12

53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.92 $9.92

$11.12 CA$15.73

-10.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$10.60 CA$14.98

43.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$2.22 CA$3.14

-21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.84 CA$4.01

19.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.62 CA$3.71

-20.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.23 CA$4.56

-39.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.48 CA$2.10

-13.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.31 $20.31

$32.22 CA$45.55

-36.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.36 CA$1.92

-30.88%

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

$26.7K $26.7K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-3.52%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

20.79%

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

$185 $185

$77.0 CA$109

139.68%

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

$53.4 $53.4

$34.14 CA$48.26

56.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.6 $79.6

$42.19 CA$59.7

88.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.66 $39.66

$30.81 CA$43.56

28.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$9.82 $9.82

$11.47 CA$16.22

-14.39%

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

$1,350 $1,350

$506 CA$716

166.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-26.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.76 $45.76

$57.3 CA$81.0

-20.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 $24.54

$38.10 CA$53.9

-35.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.6 $50.6

$91.9 CA$130

-44.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.6 $59.6

$110 CA$155

-45.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 $1,030

$1,237 CA$1,748

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 $739

$977 CA$1,381

-24.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 $1,586

$2,180 CA$3,082

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 $1,188

$1,608 CA$2,273

-26.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 $2,942

$5,113 CA$7,228

-42.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,028 $2,028

$3,744 CA$5,293

-45.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 $2,957

$2,957 CA$4,180

-0.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.48

46.65%

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

Last update for Albert Lea, MN: 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

Albert Lea, MN

$739 38%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 32.1% $237

Groceries & Markets

Albert Lea, MN

$400 20.6%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 12.3% $49

Eating Out

Albert Lea, MN

$330 17%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 11.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albert Lea, MN

$318 16.3%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 51.7% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Albert Lea, MN

$81 4.2%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 64.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Albert Lea, MN

$59 3.1%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 9.3% $5.5

Getting Around

Albert Lea, MN

$17 * 0.9%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 500% $84

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 $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 0% 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: $102 in Albert Lea, MN vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $400 vs $351 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albert Lea, MN

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

04:45 4:45 AM

1 h ahead of Albert Lea, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,758

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 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

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Between locations

Albert Lea, MN Montreal 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Albert Lea, MN
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

Albert Lea, MN vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albert Lea, MN and Montreal differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,944 vs $2,059 including rent). Albert Lea, MN is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Montreal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,030 in Albert Lea, MN versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,350 in Albert Lea, MN versus $506 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Albert Lea, MN – a meal for two runs $102 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,944 in Albert Lea, MN versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Albert Lea, MN but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Albert Lea, MN 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, Albert Lea, MN 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 Albert Lea, MN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.