Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,398 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,398

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,398 in Cambridge versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Cambridge $2,398
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,402 in Cambridge versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Cambridge $3,402
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,406 in Cambridge versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Cambridge $4,406
Montreal $4,152

Living in Cambridge is roughly 19% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cambridge 78% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 CA$24.45

$18.82 CA$26.61

-8.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 CA$78.9

$70.3 CA$99.4

-20.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 CA$14.07

$10.66 CA$15.06

-6.57%

Cappuccino

$3.51 CA$4.96

$3.84 CA$5.43

-8.59%

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

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.92 CA$2.71

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 CA$1.86

$1.54 CA$2.18

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 CA$7.22

$6.23 CA$8.81

-17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$7.10 CA$10.03

-12.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.91

$2.31 CA$3.27

-10.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 CA$3.36

$3.14 CA$4.44

-24.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 CA$4.36

$3.21 CA$4.54

-3.74%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.52 CA$4.97

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 CA$15.33

$12.81 CA$18.11

-15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.33 CA$16.02

$11.46 CA$16.20

-1.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 CA$20.22

$13.39 CA$18.92

6.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 CA$5.58

$3.14 CA$4.43

25.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CA$1.67

$1.44 CA$2.03

-18.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.66

$3.47 CA$4.91

15.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.07 CA$4.34

19.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.90 CA$2.69

37.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.77 CA$2.50

11.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CA$2.88

$2.34 CA$3.31

-12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$1.55 CA$2.19

-9.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.82 CA$18.13

$11.38 CA$16.09

12.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.20 CA$17.25

$10.63 CA$15.03

14.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$2.27 CA$3.21

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$2.82 CA$3.99

36.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 CA$3.44

$2.66 CA$3.76

-8.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$90.3

$77.3 CA$109

-17.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$3.20 CA$4.53

-24.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.48 CA$2.09

20.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.60 CA$31.95

$32.88 CA$46.48

-31.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.63

$1.34 CA$1.90

-13.43%

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

$25.8K CA$36.5K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-8.20%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-5.61%

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

$149 CA$211

$76.0 CA$107

96.10%

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

$42.05 CA$59.5

$33.95 CA$48.00

23.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.52 CA$70.0

$42.31 CA$59.8

17.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.59 CA$40.42

$29.76 CA$42.07

-3.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$10.28 CA$14.53

$11.15 CA$15.77

-7.80%

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

$528 CA$746

$507 CA$717

4.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$22.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

0.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$76.7

$57.6 CA$81.4

-5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.82 CA$42.16

$37.58 CA$53.1

-20.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 CA$105

$91.9 CA$130

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$146

$110 CA$155

-5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 CA$1,845

$1,260 CA$1,782

3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,299 CA$1,837

$948 CA$1,340

37.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 CA$3,547

$2,137 CA$3,021

17.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,989 CA$2,812

$1,614 CA$2,281

23.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,236 CA$5,989

$4,960 CA$7,011

-14.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,850 CA$5,443

$3,838 CA$5,425

0.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,938 CA$4,153

$2,827 CA$3,997

3.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

4.48

13.62%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.3K 54.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 27.1% $352

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$345 14.4%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 0.5% $1.8

Eating Out

Cambridge

$262 10.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 10.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$241 10%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 36.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$118 4.9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 13.4% $16

Getting Around

Cambridge

$85 3.5%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 16% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$49 2.1%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 5.9% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,305 in Cambridge and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cambridge pays 4% 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: $56.0 in Cambridge vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $345 vs $346 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

Same time as Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,479

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

Cambridge Montreal 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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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

Cambridge vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Cambridge, 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: $1,305 in Cambridge versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cambridge pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $56.0 in Cambridge. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,398 in Cambridge, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Cambridge. 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 Cambridge, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cambridge 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 19% less than in Cambridge. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.