Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrington, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,677 in Barrington, IL, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Barrington, IL
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Barrington, IL Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Barrington, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,677

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,677 per month in Barrington, IL vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Barrington, IL $2,677
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $4,008 per month in Barrington, IL vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Barrington, IL $4,008
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $5,339 per month in Barrington, IL vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Barrington, IL $5,339
Montreal $4,187

Barrington, IL costs about 30% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Barrington, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Barrington, IL by 98%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.21 $20.21

$18.84 CA$26.63

7.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$73.2 CA$104

1.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 $11.36

$10.54 CA$14.90

7.78%

Cappuccino

$5.24 $5.24

$3.97 CA$5.61

31.99%

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

$2.60 $2.60

$1.94 CA$2.74

34.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.57 CA$2.22

30.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 $5.99

$6.42 CA$9.08

-6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 $7.14

$7.20 CA$10.19

-0.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.32 CA$3.28

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.79 $3.79

$3.19 CA$4.51

18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.19 CA$4.50

35.74%

Eggs

$4.27 $4.27

$3.68 CA$5.20

16.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 $15.24

$13.24 CA$18.72

15.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.09 $11.09

$11.69 CA$16.53

-5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 $17.23

$13.98 CA$19.76

23.25%

Apples (1kg)

$5.76 $5.76

$3.14 CA$4.44

83.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 CA$2.05

36.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.38 CA$4.78

35.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$3.11 CA$4.40

116.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.93 CA$2.72

42.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$1.83 CA$2.58

18.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.36 CA$3.34

2.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.50 CA$2.12

52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 $10.15

$11.12 CA$15.73

-8.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.22 $17.22

$10.60 CA$14.98

62.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.22 CA$3.14

-15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$2.84 CA$4.01

20.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.62 CA$3.71

-24.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 $117

$79.1 CA$112

47.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.23 CA$4.56

6.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.48 CA$2.10

6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.06 $33.06

$32.22 CA$45.55

2.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.36 CA$1.92

-13.97%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

0.44%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

25.23%

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

$230 $230

$77.0 CA$109

198.91%

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

$48.44 $48.44

$34.14 CA$48.26

41.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$42.19 CA$59.7

39.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 $67.2

$30.81 CA$43.56

118.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 $15.27

$19.66 CA$27.79

-22.33%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 $14.61

$11.47 CA$16.22

27.38%

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

$1,481 $1,481

$506 CA$716

192.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

69.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$57.3 CA$81.0

-8.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.21 $41.21

$38.10 CA$53.9

8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 $89.8

$91.9 CA$130

-2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$110 CA$155

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,237 CA$1,748

29.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 $1,222

$977 CA$1,381

25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,526 $2,526

$2,180 CA$3,082

15.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,167 $2,167

$1,608 CA$2,273

34.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,376 $2,376

$5,113 CA$7,228

-53.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,187 $2,187

$3,744 CA$5,293

-41.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,760 $5,760

$2,957 CA$4,180

94.80%

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 Barrington, IL: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrington, IL

$1.2K 45.7%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 20.1% $246

Groceries & Markets

Barrington, IL

$430 16.1%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 18.3% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrington, IL

$338 12.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 54.6% $184

Eating Out

Barrington, IL

$322 12%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 9.7% $31

Getting Around

Barrington, IL

$136 5.1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 26.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Barrington, IL

$133 5%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Barrington, IL

$96 3.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 44.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Barrington, IL versus $1,237 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 95% higher in Barrington, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Barrington, IL versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $430 vs $351 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Barrington, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h ahead of Barrington, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,772

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 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 →

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Between locations

Barrington, IL Montreal 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Barrington, IL
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

Barrington, IL vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barrington, IL costs about 30% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,015 per month in Barrington, IL and $3,089 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.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,481 per month in Barrington, IL and $506 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 $2,059, than in Barrington, IL at $2,677. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barrington, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,677 in Barrington, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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