Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Montreal $4,092

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 16% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$19.31 CA$27.52

1.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$75.5 CA$108

4.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$10.63 CA$15.15

11.01%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$3.93 CA$5.60

38.93%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$1.92 CA$2.73

54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.48 CA$2.11

17.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$6.30 CA$8.98

-19.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$7.19 CA$10.24

-19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$2.22 CA$3.17

-59.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.06 CA$4.36

-4.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$2.94 CA$4.19

11.22%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$3.53 CA$5.03

12.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$13.19 CA$18.79

-26.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$11.24 CA$16.02

-23.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.81 CA$19.69

8.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.40 CA$4.85

54.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.44 CA$2.06

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$3.26 CA$4.65

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$2.88 CA$4.10

27.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.86 CA$2.65

19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.82 CA$2.60

82.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$2.43 CA$3.46

-22.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.52 CA$2.17

74.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$11.45 CA$16.32

-23.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$10.36 CA$14.76

42.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.22 CA$3.16

-23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.82 CA$4.02

-12.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$3.25 CA$4.64

-36.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.48 CA$2.11

-14.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$33.04 CA$47.09

-40.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.36 CA$1.94

-27.21%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

30.07%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

27.07%

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

$159 $159

$76.1 CA$109

109.37%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$34.68 CA$49.43

53.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$42.69 CA$60.9

50.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$28.94 CA$41.26

155.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$11.21 CA$15.98

33.36%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$505 CA$720

118.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-25.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$58.5 CA$83.4

-17.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$38.00 CA$54.2

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$92.7 CA$132

-2.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$106 CA$151

10.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$1,240 CA$1,768

-10.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$986 CA$1,405

15.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$2,102 CA$2,996

-6.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,615 CA$2,302

-0.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$2,920 CA$4,163

81.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

4.46

42.83%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: 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

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 13.6% $155

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 2.7% $9.4

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 6.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 44.5% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 1.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 50.6% $53

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 1064% $89

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 $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 81% 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: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $344 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

05:42 5:42 AM

1 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Montreal 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and Montreal differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($2,326 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 81% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $2,003 in Montreal – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,003 in Montreal versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. 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, Ankeny, IA 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 16% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.