Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Burlington vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Burlington $2,634
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,790 per month in Burlington vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Burlington $3,790
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,946 per month in Burlington vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Burlington $4,946
Montreal $4,152

Burlington costs about 31% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Burlington and Montreal sit above the global median – Burlington by 95%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.10 CA$29.82

$18.82 CA$26.61

12.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 CA$101

$70.3 CA$99.4

1.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 CA$15.13

$10.66 CA$15.06

0.38%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$3.84 CA$5.43

-11.46%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.92 CA$2.71

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.54 CA$2.18

-0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 CA$7.81

$6.23 CA$8.81

-11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 CA$8.71

$7.10 CA$10.03

-13.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.31 CA$3.27

13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$3.14 CA$4.44

-11.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$3.21 CA$4.54

15.58%

Eggs

$3.51 CA$4.97

$3.52 CA$4.97

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$12.81 CA$18.11

-22.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$11.46 CA$16.20

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 CA$20.10

$13.39 CA$18.92

6.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CA$5.03

$3.14 CA$4.43

13.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$1.44 CA$2.03

4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.84

$3.47 CA$4.91

-21.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$3.07 CA$4.34

14.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.90 CA$2.69

1.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CA$2.61

$1.77 CA$2.50

3.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.89

$2.34 CA$3.31

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.55 CA$2.19

-5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 CA$18.44

$11.38 CA$16.09

14.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.94

$10.63 CA$15.03

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$2.27 CA$3.21

14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 CA$4.02

$2.82 CA$3.99

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$2.66 CA$3.76

-4.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 CA$138

$77.3 CA$109

25.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 CA$7.01

$3.20 CA$4.53

55.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$1.48 CA$2.09

61.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 CA$59.7

$32.88 CA$46.48

28.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.34 CA$1.90

-14.18%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-3.29%

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

$20.2K CA$28.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

2.73%

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

$143 CA$202

$76.0 CA$107

87.82%

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

$44.20 CA$62.5

$33.95 CA$48.00

30.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 CA$94.3

$42.31 CA$59.8

57.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 CA$72.5

$29.76 CA$42.07

72.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 CA$41.65

$20.28 CA$28.67

45.27%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 CA$22.51

$11.15 CA$15.77

42.87%

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

$1,151 CA$1,628

$507 CA$717

127.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K CA$27.1K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

19.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 CA$96.1

$57.6 CA$81.4

18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.8 CA$90.1

$37.58 CA$53.1

69.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 CA$137

$91.9 CA$130

5.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 CA$137

$110 CA$155

-11.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 CA$2,286

$1,260 CA$1,782

28.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 CA$1,969

$948 CA$1,340

46.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 CA$3,616

$2,137 CA$3,021

19.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 CA$3,019

$1,614 CA$2,281

32.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 CA$7,087

$4,960 CA$7,011

1.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,029 CA$5,696

$3,838 CA$5,425

4.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 CA$4,468

$2,827 CA$3,997

11.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

4.48

0.89%

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

Last update for Burlington: 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

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9%

Montreal

$948 47% 32% $445

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$338 12.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 2.4% $8.3

Eating Out

Burlington

$296 11.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 2.6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$254 9.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 40% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$147 5.6%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 9% $13

Getting Around

Burlington

$124 4.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 20.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$83 3.2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 37.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,617 in Burlington versus $1,260 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 12% higher in Burlington, 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 $71.0 in Burlington versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Burlington vs $346 in Montreal – so Burlington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

Same time as Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

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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Between locations

Burlington Montreal 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Burlington
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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

Burlington vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,952 per month in Burlington and $3,027 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,151 per month in Burlington and $507 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Burlington – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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