Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alhambra, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $3,606 in Alhambra, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

173

Cost of Living Index in Alhambra, CA
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Alhambra, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Alhambra, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,606

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,606 in Alhambra, CA versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Alhambra, CA $3,606
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,604 in Alhambra, CA versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Alhambra, CA $4,604
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Alhambra, CA versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Alhambra, CA $5,603
Montreal $4,092

Living in Alhambra, CA is roughly 80% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alhambra, CA 169% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.88 $24.88

$19.31 CA$27.52

28.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 $77.9

$75.5 CA$108

3.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.96 $14.96

$10.63 CA$15.15

40.73%

Cappuccino

$6.10 $6.10

$3.93 CA$5.60

55.22%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.92 CA$2.73

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.48 CA$2.11

63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 $7.04

$6.30 CA$8.98

11.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 $10.11

$7.19 CA$10.24

40.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$2.22 CA$3.17

-38.74%

White Bread (500g)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.06 CA$4.36

66.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$2.94 CA$4.19

56.12%

Eggs

$5.91 $5.91

$3.53 CA$5.03

67.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 $11.33

$13.19 CA$18.79

-14.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 $8.82

$11.24 CA$16.02

-21.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.79 $19.79

$13.81 CA$19.69

43.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$3.40 CA$4.85

41.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.44 CA$2.06

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.26 CA$4.65

21.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 $5.64

$2.88 CA$4.10

95.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.86 CA$2.65

72.04%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.82 CA$2.60

73.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.43 CA$3.46

-13.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.52 CA$2.17

85.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.73 $11.73

$11.45 CA$16.32

2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 $15.24

$10.36 CA$14.76

47.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.22 CA$3.16

12.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.82 CA$4.02

-1.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.58 CA$3.67

-24.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 $110

$76.9 CA$110

43.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.25 CA$4.64

-5.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.48 CA$2.11

22.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.56 $32.56

$33.04 CA$47.09

-1.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.36 CA$1.94

6.62%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

34.80%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

32.65%

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

$284 $284

$76.1 CA$109

273.02%

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

$76.1 $76.1

$34.68 CA$49.43

119.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.9 $72.9

$42.69 CA$60.9

70.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 $41.65

$28.94 CA$41.26

43.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.80 $15.80

$20.33 CA$28.97

-22.28%

Cinema Ticket

$19.77 $19.77

$11.21 CA$15.98

76.36%

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

$1,157 $1,157

$505 CA$720

129.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

103.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$58.5 CA$83.4

7.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.26 $48.26

$38.00 CA$54.2

27.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$92.7 CA$132

12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 $101

$106 CA$151

-4.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,328 $2,328

$1,240 CA$1,768

87.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 $1,921

$986 CA$1,405

94.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,539 $2,539

$2,102 CA$2,996

20.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,118 $2,118

$1,615 CA$2,302

31.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,773 $2,773

$5,043 CA$7,188

-45.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,375 $2,375

$3,830 CA$5,459

-37.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,816 $4,816

$2,920 CA$4,163

64.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

4.46

41.48%

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

Last update for Alhambra, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alhambra, CA

$1.9K 54.3%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 48.7% $935

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alhambra, CA

$433 12.3%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 64.5% $279

Groceries & Markets

Alhambra, CA

$432 12.2%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 20.5% $89

Eating Out

Alhambra, CA

$394 11.2%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 25.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Alhambra, CA

$143 4%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 6.9% $9.8

Getting Around

Alhambra, CA

$130 3.7%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 25% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Alhambra, CA

$81 2.3%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 36.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,328 in Alhambra, CA and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alhambra, CA pays 65% 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: $78.0 in Alhambra, CA vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $432 vs $344 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alhambra, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

3 h ahead of Alhambra, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,089

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Alhambra, CA Montreal 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Alhambra, CA
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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

Alhambra, CA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alhambra, CA and Montreal differ by about 80% in total monthly costs ($3,606 vs $2,003 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Alhambra, CA, 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: $2,328 in Alhambra, CA versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Alhambra, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $78.0 in Alhambra, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,003 in Montreal versus $3,606 in Alhambra, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Alhambra, CA. 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, Alhambra, CA 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 80% less than in Alhambra, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.