Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brea, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,716 in Brea, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Brea, CA $3,716
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,124 in Brea, CA versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Brea, CA $5,124
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,532 in Brea, CA versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Brea, CA $6,532
Montreal $4,187

Living in Brea, CA is roughly 80% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brea, CA 174% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.18 $25.18

$18.84 CA$26.63

33.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$73.2 CA$104

7.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 $12.18

$10.54 CA$14.90

15.56%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.97 CA$5.61

40.81%

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

$2.69 $2.69

$1.94 CA$2.74

38.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.57 CA$2.22

26.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 $7.34

$6.42 CA$9.08

14.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.46 $9.46

$7.20 CA$10.19

31.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$2.32 CA$3.28

-49.14%

White Bread (500g)

$5.29 $5.29

$3.19 CA$4.51

65.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.19 CA$4.50

38.24%

Eggs

$4.86 $4.86

$3.68 CA$5.20

32.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.38 $15.38

$13.24 CA$18.72

16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$11.69 CA$16.53

-24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 $13.91

$13.98 CA$19.76

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 $4.66

$3.14 CA$4.44

48.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$1.45 CA$2.05

24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.38 CA$4.78

27.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.11 CA$4.40

85.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.61 $3.61

$1.93 CA$2.72

87.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$1.83 CA$2.58

67.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.36 CA$3.34

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 $2.18

$1.50 CA$2.12

45.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.95 $11.95

$11.12 CA$15.73

7.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.14 $15.14

$10.60 CA$14.98

42.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.22 CA$3.14

-20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.84 CA$4.01

13.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.23 CA$4.56

41.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.48 CA$2.10

22.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.28 $36.28

$32.22 CA$45.55

12.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.36 CA$1.92

15.44%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

0.50%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

22.78%

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

$218 $218

$77.0 CA$109

182.74%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$34.14 CA$48.26

107.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.1 $69.1

$42.19 CA$59.7

63.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.08 $30.08

$30.81 CA$43.56

-2.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 $20.02

$19.66 CA$27.79

1.83%

Cinema Ticket

$19.98 $19.98

$11.47 CA$16.22

74.19%

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

$1,162 $1,162

$506 CA$716

129.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.8K $42.8K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

163.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.2 $62.2

$57.3 CA$81.0

8.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.12 $41.12

$38.10 CA$53.9

7.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 $80.9

$91.9 CA$130

-11.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$110 CA$155

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$1,237 CA$1,748

81.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,354 $2,354

$977 CA$1,381

141.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,133 $3,133

$2,180 CA$3,082

43.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,521 $3,521

$1,608 CA$2,273

118.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,884 $5,884

$5,113 CA$7,228

15.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,172 $6,172

$3,744 CA$5,293

64.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$9,939 $9,939

$2,957 CA$4,180

236.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

4.48

40.85%

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

Last update for Brea, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 58.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Brea, CA

$411 11.1%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 14.7% $60

Eating Out

Brea, CA

$379 10.2%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 23.4% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brea, CA

$358 9.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 57.1% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Brea, CA

$130 3.5%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 3% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Brea, CA

$70 1.9%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 23.2% $16

Getting Around

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 636% $87

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 $2,241 in Brea, CA and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 236% 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: $79.0 in Brea, CA vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $351 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

3 h ahead of Brea, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,585

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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 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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Between locations

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

From you

Brea, 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

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

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 236% higher in Brea, 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: $2,241 in Brea, CA versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Brea, CA versus $506 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $3,716 in Brea, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brea, 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 80% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.