Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bowmanville, Ontario and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,222 in Bowmanville, Ontario, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bowmanville, Ontario outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Bowmanville, Ontario
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Bowmanville, Ontario Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Bowmanville, Ontario

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,222

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,222 in Bowmanville, Ontario versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Bowmanville, Ontario $2,222
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,120 in Bowmanville, Ontario versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Bowmanville, Ontario $3,120
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,018 in Bowmanville, Ontario versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Bowmanville, Ontario $4,018
Montreal $4,152

Living in Bowmanville, Ontario is roughly 10% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bowmanville, Ontario 65% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.96 CA$19.73

$18.82 CA$26.61

-25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.4 CA$88.3

$70.3 CA$99.4

-11.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 CA$13.94

$10.66 CA$15.06

-7.50%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.84 CA$5.43

-9.64%

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

$1.71 CA$2.41

$1.92 CA$2.71

-10.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.54 CA$2.18

-12.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 CA$7.82

$6.23 CA$8.81

-11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CA$8.53

$7.10 CA$10.03

-15.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.75 CA$3.89

$2.31 CA$3.27

19.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$3.14 CA$4.44

-10.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$3.21 CA$4.54

-22.43%

Eggs

$4.15 CA$5.87

$3.52 CA$4.97

17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.66

$12.81 CA$18.11

-24.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 CA$15.38

$11.46 CA$16.20

-5.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 CA$18.28

$13.39 CA$18.92

-3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.05

$3.14 CA$4.43

13.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.44 CA$2.03

-19.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$3.47 CA$4.91

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 CA$5.15

$3.07 CA$4.34

18.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.90 CA$2.69

-13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.13

$1.77 CA$2.50

24.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 CA$3.24

$2.34 CA$3.31

-2.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.15

$1.55 CA$2.19

-1.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.84 CA$19.56

$11.38 CA$16.09

21.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.59 CA$17.80

$10.63 CA$15.03

18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$2.27 CA$3.21

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$2.82 CA$3.99

-12.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 CA$4.28

$3.20 CA$4.53

-5.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 CA$1.02

$1.48 CA$2.09

-51.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.64 CA$29.18

$32.88 CA$46.48

-37.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.34 CA$1.90

-18.66%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-1.85%

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

$19.0K CA$26.8K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-3.34%

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

$141 CA$200

$76.0 CA$107

86.10%

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

$38.05 CA$53.8

$33.95 CA$48.00

12.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$42.31 CA$59.8

26.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 CA$14.99

$11.15 CA$15.77

-4.84%

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

$880 CA$1,244

$507 CA$717

73.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,770 CA$5,330

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-76.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.66 CA$60.3

$57.6 CA$81.4

-25.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 CA$52.1

$37.58 CA$53.1

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 CA$118

$91.9 CA$130

-9.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 CA$141

$110 CA$155

-8.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 CA$2,290

$1,260 CA$1,782

28.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 CA$1,796

$948 CA$1,340

34.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 CA$2,708

$2,137 CA$3,021

-10.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 CA$2,646

$1,614 CA$2,281

15.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,097 CA$7,206

$4,960 CA$7,011

2.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,368 CA$4,761

$2,827 CA$3,997

19.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.48

1.56%

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

Last update for Bowmanville, Ontario: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bowmanville, Ontario

$1.3K 57.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 25.4% $323

Groceries & Markets

Bowmanville, Ontario

$337 15.2%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 2.8% $9.3

Eating Out

Bowmanville, Ontario

$235 10.6%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 22.5% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bowmanville, Ontario

$233 10.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 34.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Bowmanville, Ontario

$118 5.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 12.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bowmanville, Ontario

$21 * 1%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 146% $31

Getting Around

Bowmanville, Ontario

$6.7 * 0.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 1382% $92

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 $1,620 in Bowmanville, Ontario and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bowmanville, Ontario pays 19% 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: $62.0 in Bowmanville, Ontario vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $346 per month, with Bowmanville, Ontario cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Bowmanville, Ontario

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

Same time as Bowmanville, Ontario

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bowmanville, Ontario Montreal 440 km

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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

Bowmanville, Ontario vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Bowmanville, Ontario, 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: $1,620 in Bowmanville, Ontario versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bowmanville, Ontario pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,222 per month in Bowmanville, Ontario versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,222 in Bowmanville, Ontario, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Bowmanville, Ontario. 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 Bowmanville, Ontario, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bowmanville, Ontario 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 10% less than in Bowmanville, Ontario. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.