Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerritos, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $3,104 in Cerritos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

151

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cerritos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,104

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,104 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,104
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $3,246 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,246
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $3,389 per month in Cerritos, CA vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Cerritos, CA $3,389
Montreal $4,092

Cerritos, CA costs about 55% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cerritos, CA and Montreal sit above the global median – Cerritos, CA by 132%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.23 $25.23

$19.31 CA$27.52

30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$75.5 CA$108

34.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.93 $15.93

$10.63 CA$15.15

49.86%

Cappuccino

$5.61 $5.61

$3.93 CA$5.60

42.75%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.92 CA$2.73

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.48 CA$2.11

81.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$6.30 CA$8.98

30.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.98 $9.98

$7.19 CA$10.24

38.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.22 CA$3.17

-40.09%

White Bread (500g)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.06 CA$4.36

60.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.94 CA$4.19

55.44%

Eggs

$5.78 $5.78

$3.53 CA$5.03

63.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$13.19 CA$18.79

-11.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.87 $8.87

$11.24 CA$16.02

-21.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$13.81 CA$19.69

39.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$3.40 CA$4.85

37.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.44 CA$2.06

75.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$3.26 CA$4.65

38.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.53 $5.53

$2.88 CA$4.10

92.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.86 CA$2.65

69.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$1.82 CA$2.60

59.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.43 CA$3.46

-16.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.52 CA$2.17

65.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 $11.81

$11.45 CA$16.32

3.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.89 $14.89

$10.36 CA$14.76

43.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.22 CA$3.16

12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.82 CA$4.02

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.25 CA$4.64

-3.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.48 CA$2.11

23.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 $32.22

$33.04 CA$47.09

-2.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.36 CA$1.94

18.38%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

33.11%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

28.40%

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

$221 $221

$76.1 CA$109

190.07%

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

$76.4 $76.4

$34.68 CA$49.43

120.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.8 $80.8

$42.69 CA$60.9

89.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$28.94 CA$41.26

309.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

Cinema Ticket

$20.17 $20.17

$11.21 CA$15.98

79.93%

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

$1,157 $1,157

$505 CA$720

129.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K $32.8K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

104.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 $62.7

$58.5 CA$83.4

7.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.80 $47.80

$38.00 CA$54.2

25.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$92.7 CA$132

23.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$106 CA$151

-3.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 $1,968

$1,240 CA$1,768

58.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 $1,624

$986 CA$1,405

64.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,556 $3,556

$2,102 CA$2,996

69.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.31

4.46

41.48%

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

Last update for Cerritos, CA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cerritos, CA

$1.6K 51.6%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 39.3% $638

Groceries & Markets

Cerritos, CA

$427 13.6%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 19.5% $83

Eating Out

Cerritos, CA

$401 12.7%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 27% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cerritos, CA

$378 12%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 59.4% $224

Sport & Entertainment

Cerritos, CA

$159 5.1%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 67.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Cerritos, CA

$147 4.7%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 9.7% $14

Getting Around

Cerritos, CA

$12 * 0.4%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 697% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,968 in Cerritos, CA versus $1,240 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $344 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Cerritos, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

3 h ahead of Cerritos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,041

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cerritos, CA Montreal 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cerritos, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,104 in Cerritos, CA, $2,003 in Montreal – roughly 55% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,655 per month in Cerritos, CA and $3,005 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Cerritos, CA and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Cerritos, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,003, than in Cerritos, CA at $3,104. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cerritos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cerritos, CA has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,003 in Montreal to $3,104 in Cerritos, CA. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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