Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrie and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,524 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,524 in Barrie versus $2,064 in Montreal.

Barrie $2,524
Montreal $2,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,461 in Barrie versus $3,156 in Montreal.

Barrie $3,461
Montreal $3,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,399 in Barrie versus $4,247 in Montreal.

Barrie $4,399
Montreal $4,247

Living in Barrie is roughly 22% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barrie 85% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.47 CA$20.22

$18.98 CA$26.52

-23.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 CA$78.4

$73.0 CA$102

-23.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 CA$15.74

$10.88 CA$15.20

3.58%

Cappuccino

$3.75 CA$5.24

$3.81 CA$5.33

-1.57%

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

$1.91 CA$2.67

$1.94 CA$2.71

-1.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.58 CA$2.21

-8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 CA$6.87

$6.37 CA$8.90

-22.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.85

$7.26 CA$10.15

-22.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 CA$2.90

$2.23 CA$3.11

-6.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 CA$3.43

$3.17 CA$4.43

-22.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.76

$3.31 CA$4.62

-18.73%

Eggs

$3.12 CA$4.36

$3.63 CA$5.07

-14.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.00 CA$13.97

$13.16 CA$18.38

-24.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.19 CA$19.82

$11.56 CA$16.15

22.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.64 CA$31.63

$13.71 CA$19.16

65.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.56

$3.29 CA$4.60

20.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CA$1.66

$1.46 CA$2.04

-18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$3.37 CA$4.70

-5.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.39

$3.15 CA$4.40

22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 CA$1.56

$1.89 CA$2.64

-41.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.91

$1.79 CA$2.50

-23.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 CA$2.92

$2.47 CA$3.45

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.27

$1.58 CA$2.21

3.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.46 CA$16.01

$11.28 CA$15.77

1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 CA$14.26

$10.49 CA$14.66

-2.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.53

$2.34 CA$3.26

8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 CA$3.02

$2.91 CA$4.07

-25.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 CA$3.42

$2.61 CA$3.65

-6.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.6 CA$88.9

$79.1 CA$111

-19.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 CA$5.09

$3.26 CA$4.55

11.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 CA$1.46

$1.44 CA$2.01

-27.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.59

$1.33 CA$1.86

-14.29%

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

$26.0K CA$36.3K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

-9.18%

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

$23.0K CA$32.1K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

8.98%

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

$234 CA$327

$80.1 CA$112

192.19%

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

$35.10 CA$49.04

$34.30 CA$47.92

2.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.8 CA$109

$42.85 CA$59.9

81.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.88 CA$43.15

$31.14 CA$43.51

-0.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.49 CA$49.58

$19.41 CA$27.11

82.84%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 CA$17.74

$11.23 CA$15.69

13.09%

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

$1,434 CA$2,004

$525 CA$734

173.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 CA$88.0

$58.0 CA$81.0

8.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 CA$63.0

$38.11 CA$53.2

18.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 CA$210

$93.4 CA$131

61.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 CA$120

$110 CA$154

-22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 CA$2,039

$1,285 CA$1,795

13.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 CA$1,777

$977 CA$1,364

30.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,034 CA$2,841

$2,271 CA$3,173

-10.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,419

$1,665 CA$2,326

3.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,201 CA$7,267

$5,139 CA$7,180

1.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,101 CA$5,730

$3,834 CA$5,357

6.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,071 CA$4,290

$3,002 CA$4,194

2.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.48

4.46%

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

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 23.2% $295

Groceries & Markets

Barrie

$368 14.6%

Montreal

$351 17% 4.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrie

$347 13.7%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 54.7% $190

Eating Out

Barrie

$244 9.7%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 19.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Barrie

$155 6.1%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 13% $20

Getting Around

Barrie

$82 3.3%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 21.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barrie

$56 2.2%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 4.8% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,459 in Barrie and $1,285 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Barrie vs $73 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $368 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Barrie

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

Same time as Barrie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,434

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Barrie vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,524 in Barrie and $2,064 in Montreal, so Montreal is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,786 in Barrie and $3,096 in Montreal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,459 in Barrie versus $1,285 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 20% less than in Montreal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,434 in Barrie versus $525 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.