Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,441 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,441

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Castries vs $2,067 in Montreal, rent included.

Castries $1,441
Montreal $2,067

A couple spends around $2,376 per month in Castries vs $3,179 in Montreal, rent included.

Castries $2,376
Montreal $3,179

A family of three spends $3,310 per month in Castries vs $4,291 in Montreal, rent included.

Castries $3,310
Montreal $4,291

Castries is about 30% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Castries and Montreal sit above the global median – Castries by 7%, Montreal by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.42 EC$25.45

$18.89 CA$26.37

-50.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 EC$200

$72.6 CA$101

1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.47 EC$22.86

$10.79 CA$15.07

-21.50%

Cappuccino

$3.66 EC$9.89

$3.98 CA$5.56

-8.04%

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

$1.96 EC$5.30

$2.02 CA$2.82

-2.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 EC$2.49

$1.63 CA$2.28

-43.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 EC$7.47

$6.32 CA$8.82

-56.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 EC$9.17

$7.06 CA$9.86

-51.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 EC$5.57

$2.33 CA$3.26

-11.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 EC$5.06

$3.25 CA$4.53

-42.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 EC$4.51

$3.26 CA$4.56

-48.77%

Eggs

$5.04 EC$13.61

$3.48 CA$4.85

44.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.38 EC$30.72

$13.73 CA$19.17

-17.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 EC$24.46

$11.48 CA$16.02

-21.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 EC$40.31

$14.26 CA$19.91

4.70%

Apples (1kg)

$8.67 EC$23.40

$3.52 CA$4.92

146.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 EC$4.40

$1.46 CA$2.03

11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.38 EC$22.64

$3.41 CA$4.76

145.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$14.78 EC$39.90

$3.20 CA$4.47

361.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.38 EC$9.12

$1.94 CA$2.70

74.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 EC$5.39

$1.78 CA$2.49

11.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 EC$6.05

$2.52 CA$3.52

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 EC$3.60

$1.58 CA$2.21

-15.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.41 EC$25.40

$11.51 CA$16.06

-18.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 EC$30.07

$10.57 CA$14.76

5.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 EC$5.93

$2.35 CA$3.27

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 EC$15.14

$2.90 CA$4.04

93.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 EC$3.07

$2.61 CA$3.65

-56.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.37 EC$25.29

$3.17 CA$4.43

195.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.08

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 EC$4.25

$1.36 CA$1.90

15.44%

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

$25.7K EC$69.5K

$28.0K CA$39.1K

-8.15%

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

$36.6K EC$98.9K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

73.17%

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

$124 EC$334

$77.6 CA$108

59.27%

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

$87.2 EC$235

$35.63 CA$49.74

144.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.78 EC$129

$43.73 CA$61.1

9.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.45 EC$112

$30.07 CA$41.98

37.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.87

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 EC$15.22

$11.27 CA$15.74

-49.96%

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

$210 EC$566

$522 CA$729

-59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 EC$224

$59.0 CA$82.3

40.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 EC$138

$39.01 CA$54.5

31.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 EC$304

$99.8 CA$139

12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 EC$304

$110 CA$153

2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 EC$1,229

$1,298 CA$1,812

-64.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 EC$925

$970 CA$1,355

-64.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,214 EC$3,279

$2,323 CA$3,243

-47.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 EC$1,951

$1,689 CA$2,358

-57.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$101 EC$272

$5,004 CA$6,984

-97.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$65.0 EC$175

$3,736 CA$5,216

-98.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 EC$2,973

$2,943 CA$4,108

-62.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

4.51

71.84%

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

Last update for Castries: November 1, 2026

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Castries

$434 30.1%

Montreal

$357 17.3% 17.8% $77

Accommodation & Living

Castries

$343 23.8%

Montreal

$970 47% 183% $628

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castries

$259 17.9%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 39.3% $102

Eating Out

Castries

$177 12.3%

Montreal

$292 14.1% 64.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Castries

$162 11.2%

Montreal

$138 6.7% 14.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Castries

$53 3.7%

Montreal

$53 2.6% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Castries

$14 * 1%

Montreal

$100 4.8% 615% $86

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Castries versus $1,298 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 in Montreal are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Castries versus $73 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $434 vs $357 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Castries

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h behind Castries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,000 Capital

1,762,949

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Castries Montreal 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Castries
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

Castries vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 43% more than Castries, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,162 per month in Castries and $3,100 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castries, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $455 there versus $1,298 in Montreal.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,441 in Castries and $2,067 in Montreal. That makes Castries about 30% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,441 in Castries and $2,067 in Montreal. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Castries. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.