Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brentwood, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Brentwood, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,609

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,609 in Brentwood, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Brentwood, CA $2,609
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,005 in Brentwood, CA versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Brentwood, CA $4,005
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,401 in Brentwood, CA versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Brentwood, CA $5,401
Montreal $4,187

Living in Brentwood, CA is roughly 27% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brentwood, CA 93% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.11 $25.11

$18.84 CA$26.63

33.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 $112

$73.2 CA$104

52.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.08 $15.08

$10.54 CA$14.90

43.07%

Cappuccino

$5.59 $5.59

$3.97 CA$5.61

40.81%

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

$3.06 $3.06

$1.94 CA$2.74

57.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.57 CA$2.22

57.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.91 $8.91

$6.42 CA$9.08

38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.78 $7.78

$7.20 CA$10.19

8.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$2.32 CA$3.28

-45.69%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.19 CA$4.51

35.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.19 CA$4.50

48.90%

Eggs

$5.42 $5.42

$3.68 CA$5.20

47.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.69 $24.69

$13.24 CA$18.72

86.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 $11.72

$11.69 CA$16.53

0.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 $13.17

$13.98 CA$19.76

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.14 CA$4.44

72.29%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$1.45 CA$2.05

111.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.38 CA$4.78

39.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 $5.89

$3.11 CA$4.40

89.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.93 CA$2.72

70.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.83 CA$2.58

110.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.36 CA$3.34

25.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.50 CA$2.12

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.68 $11.68

$11.12 CA$15.73

5.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.08 $13.08

$10.60 CA$14.98

23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$2.22 CA$3.14

-2.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.84 CA$4.01

-10.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.62 CA$3.71

-25.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.23 CA$4.56

21.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.48 CA$2.10

14.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.36 $32.36

$32.22 CA$45.55

0.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.36 CA$1.92

13.24%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

0.06%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

28.80%

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

$137 $137

$77.0 CA$109

78.13%

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

$39.77 $39.77

$34.14 CA$48.26

16.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$42.19 CA$59.7

47.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.88 $39.88

$30.81 CA$43.56

29.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 $17.89

$11.47 CA$16.22

55.97%

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

$2,330 $2,330

$506 CA$716

360.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

46.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 $52.1

$57.3 CA$81.0

-8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 $39.73

$38.10 CA$53.9

4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 $76.2

$91.9 CA$130

-17.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 $59.0

$110 CA$155

-46.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$1,237 CA$1,748

44.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 $1,309

$977 CA$1,381

34.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,551 $2,551

$2,180 CA$3,082

17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 $2,270

$1,608 CA$2,273

41.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,730 $2,730

$5,113 CA$7,228

-46.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 $2,181

$3,744 CA$5,293

-41.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,395 $6,395

$2,957 CA$4,180

116.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.48

49.33%

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

Last update for Brentwood, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brentwood, CA

$1.3K 50.2%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 25.4% $333

Groceries & Markets

Brentwood, CA

$466 17.9%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 24.7% $115

Eating Out

Brentwood, CA

$395 15.2%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 26.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brentwood, CA

$239 9.2%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 35.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Brentwood, CA

$102 3.9%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 30.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Brentwood, CA

$76 2.9%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 28.9% $22

Getting Around

Brentwood, CA

$20 * 0.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 396% $80

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 $1,791 in Brentwood, CA and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brentwood, CA pays 116% 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: $112 in Brentwood, CA vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $466 vs $351 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brentwood, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

3 h ahead of Brentwood, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,474

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Brentwood, CA Montreal 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Brentwood, 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

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

Brentwood, CA and Montreal differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,609 vs $2,059 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 116% higher in Brentwood, 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: $1,791 in Brentwood, CA versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Brentwood, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,609 per month in Brentwood, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,609 in Brentwood, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Brentwood, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Brentwood, 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 27% less than in Brentwood, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.