Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bakersfield, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

152

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Bakersfield, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,146

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Bakersfield, CA $3,146
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,361 in Bakersfield, CA versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Bakersfield, CA $4,361
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,575 in Bakersfield, CA versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Bakersfield, CA $5,575
Montreal $4,092

Living in Bakersfield, CA is roughly 57% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bakersfield, CA 135% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.87 $18.87

$19.31 CA$27.52

-2.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.2 $64.2

$75.5 CA$108

-14.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.91 $13.91

$10.63 CA$15.15

30.86%

Cappuccino

$6.05 $6.05

$3.93 CA$5.60

53.94%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$1.92 CA$2.73

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.48 CA$2.11

37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.14 $6.14

$6.30 CA$8.98

-2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 $5.89

$7.19 CA$10.24

-18.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.22 CA$3.17

-51.35%

White Bread (500g)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.06 CA$4.36

35.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$2.94 CA$4.19

80.27%

Eggs

$3.42 $3.42

$3.53 CA$5.03

-3.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.83 $12.83

$13.19 CA$18.79

-2.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$11.24 CA$16.02

17.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 $15.95

$13.81 CA$19.69

15.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$3.40 CA$4.85

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.44 CA$2.06

43.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.26 CA$4.65

21.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 $3.82

$2.88 CA$4.10

32.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.86 CA$2.65

17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.82 CA$2.60

32.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.43 CA$3.46

-12.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.52 CA$2.17

55.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 $9.95

$11.45 CA$16.32

-13.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.72 $17.72

$10.36 CA$14.76

71.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 $1.90

$2.22 CA$3.16

-14.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.82 CA$4.02

68.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.58 CA$3.67

-32.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.5 $57.5

$76.9 CA$110

-25.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.25 CA$4.64

-7.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.48 CA$2.11

40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.36 CA$1.94

11.03%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

36.25%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

31.75%

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

$400 $400

$76.1 CA$109

425.97%

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

$60.0 $60.0

$34.68 CA$49.43

72.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.3 $74.3

$42.69 CA$60.9

74.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.76 $38.76

$28.94 CA$41.26

33.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.77 $24.77

$20.33 CA$28.97

21.84%

Cinema Ticket

$15.05 $15.05

$11.21 CA$15.98

34.26%

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

$1,482 $1,482

$505 CA$720

193.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 $61.5

$58.5 CA$83.4

5.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.13 $48.13

$38.00 CA$54.2

26.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 $99.7

$92.7 CA$132

7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 $123

$106 CA$151

16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 $1,694

$1,240 CA$1,768

36.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 $1,567

$986 CA$1,405

58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,401 $2,401

$2,102 CA$2,996

14.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 $2,511

$1,615 CA$2,302

55.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,496 $2,496

$5,043 CA$7,188

-50.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,464 $2,464

$3,830 CA$5,459

-35.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,646 $3,646

$2,920 CA$4,163

24.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.46

44.17%

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

Last update for Bakersfield, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bakersfield, CA

$1.6K 50%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 37.1% $581

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bakersfield, CA

$535 17.1%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 71.3% $381

Groceries & Markets

Bakersfield, CA

$411 13.1%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 16.3% $67

Eating Out

Bakersfield, CA

$327 10.4%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 10.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Bakersfield, CA

$150 4.8%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 11.3% $17

Getting Around

Bakersfield, CA

$78 2.5%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 25.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Bakersfield, CA

$69 2.2%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 25.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,694 in Bakersfield, CA and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bakersfield, CA pays 25% 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: $64.0 in Bakersfield, CA vs $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $411 vs $344, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bakersfield, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

09:45 9:45 AM

3 h ahead of Bakersfield, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

373,640

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

Bakersfield, CA Montreal 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bakersfield, CA
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

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

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Bakersfield, 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: $1,694 in Bakersfield, CA versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $75.0 versus $64.0 in Bakersfield, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,146 per month in Bakersfield, CA versus $2,003 in Montreal – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,003 in Montreal versus $3,146 in Bakersfield, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Bakersfield, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montreal is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bakersfield, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bakersfield, 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 57% less than in Bakersfield, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.