Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, MN and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,462 in Austin, MN, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Austin, MN
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Austin, MN Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Austin, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,462

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in Austin, MN vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Austin, MN $2,462
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,691 per month in Austin, MN vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Austin, MN $3,691
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,921 per month in Austin, MN vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Austin, MN $4,921
Montreal $4,152

Austin, MN costs about 22% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Austin, MN and Montreal sit above the global median – Austin, MN by 82%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 $20.05

$18.82 CA$26.61

6.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.6 $99.6

$70.3 CA$99.4

41.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.66 CA$15.06

14.63%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$3.84 CA$5.43

31.25%

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

$2.95 $2.95

$1.92 CA$2.71

53.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.54 CA$2.18

29.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 $5.11

$6.23 CA$8.81

-17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

$7.10 CA$10.03

-18.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$2.31 CA$3.27

-64.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 $2.88

$3.14 CA$4.44

-8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$3.21 CA$4.54

-40.50%

Eggs

$2.66 $2.66

$3.52 CA$4.97

-24.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$12.81 CA$18.11

-24.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 $6.48

$11.46 CA$16.20

-43.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.15 $19.15

$13.39 CA$18.92

43.02%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.14 CA$4.43

65.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.44 CA$2.03

-13.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.47 CA$4.91

3.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$3.07 CA$4.34

-43.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.90 CA$2.69

34.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.77 CA$2.50

25.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.34 CA$3.31

-35.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.55 CA$2.19

27.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.71 $8.71

$11.38 CA$16.09

-23.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.03 $3.03

$10.63 CA$15.03

-71.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.27 CA$3.21

-22.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.82 CA$3.99

7.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.66 CA$3.76

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.20 CA$4.53

-36.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.48 CA$2.09

-14.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.06 $20.06

$32.88 CA$46.48

-38.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 CA$1.90

-29.10%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

25.91%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

24.67%

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

$187 $187

$76.0 CA$107

145.68%

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

$52.3 $52.3

$33.95 CA$48.00

53.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.3 $79.3

$42.31 CA$59.8

87.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.93 $35.93

$29.76 CA$42.07

20.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$15.30 $15.30

$11.15 CA$15.77

37.22%

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

$1,361 $1,361

$507 CA$717

168.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K $11.6K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-27.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 $77.5

$57.6 CA$81.4

34.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 $54.0

$37.58 CA$53.1

43.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$91.9 CA$130

10.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$110 CA$155

50.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 $1,433

$1,260 CA$1,782

13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$948 CA$1,340

34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,528 $2,528

$2,137 CA$3,021

18.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 $2,157

$1,614 CA$2,281

33.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,481 $2,481

$4,960 CA$7,011

-49.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,593 $2,593

$3,838 CA$5,425

-32.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

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 Austin, MN: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, MN

$1.3K 51.8%

Montreal

$948 47% 25.6% $326

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, MN

$318 12.9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 52.2% $166

Eating Out

Austin, MN

$314 12.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 8.5% $27

Groceries & Markets

Austin, MN

$293 11.9%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 18% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, MN

$179 7.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 25.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, MN

$67 2.7%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 21.7% $14

Getting Around

Austin, MN

$16 * 0.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 508% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,433 in Austin, MN 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Austin, MN versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Austin, MN vs $346 in Montreal – so Austin, MN wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, MN

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

1 h ahead of Austin, MN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

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

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, MN Montreal 1,550 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Austin, 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

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

Yes – Austin, MN is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,692 per month in Austin, MN 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 $2,462 in Austin, MN and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $1,361 per month in Austin, MN 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 Austin, MN at $2,462. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Austin, MN it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Austin, MN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.