Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chester, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,629 in Chester, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Chester, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,629

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Chester, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Chester, CA $2,629
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,789 in Chester, CA versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Chester, CA $3,789
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,949 in Chester, CA versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Chester, CA $4,949
Montreal $4,187

Living in Chester, CA is roughly 28% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Chester, CA 94% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.13 $15.13

$18.84 CA$26.63

-19.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 $56.1

$73.2 CA$104

-23.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.61 $12.61

$10.54 CA$14.90

19.64%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$3.97 CA$5.61

27.46%

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

$1.94 $1.94

$1.94 CA$2.74

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 CA$2.22

-7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 $4.99

$6.42 CA$9.08

-22.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 $6.45

$7.20 CA$10.19

-10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$2.32 CA$3.28

-46.98%

White Bread (500g)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.19 CA$4.51

31.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.19 CA$4.50

44.83%

Eggs

$5.67 $5.67

$3.68 CA$5.20

54.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.24 CA$18.72

12.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.97 $14.97

$11.69 CA$16.53

28.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 $17.94

$13.98 CA$19.76

28.33%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 $5.05

$3.14 CA$4.44

60.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.45 CA$2.05

33.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$3.38 CA$4.78

27.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 $5.74

$3.11 CA$4.40

84.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$1.93 CA$2.72

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.83 CA$2.58

82.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.36 CA$3.34

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.50 CA$2.12

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 $9.06

$11.12 CA$15.73

-18.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 $13.92

$10.60 CA$14.98

31.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.22 CA$3.14

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 $3.52

$2.84 CA$4.01

23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.62 CA$3.71

-12.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.23 CA$4.56

27.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.48 CA$2.10

30.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.76 $24.76

$32.22 CA$45.55

-23.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.36 CA$1.92

3.68%

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

$35.2K $35.2K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

27.45%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

28.44%

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

$227 $227

$77.0 CA$109

194.95%

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

$60.6 $60.6

$34.14 CA$48.26

77.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.3 $69.3

$42.19 CA$59.7

64.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.63 $35.63

$30.81 CA$43.56

15.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 $17.07

$11.47 CA$16.22

48.82%

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

$1,537 $1,537

$506 CA$716

203.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.0K $19.0K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

16.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 $61.7

$57.3 CA$81.0

7.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.31 $46.31

$38.10 CA$53.9

21.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.4 $94.4

$91.9 CA$130

2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$110 CA$155

15.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,237 CA$1,748

29.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 $1,300

$977 CA$1,381

33.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 $2,499

$2,180 CA$3,082

14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,130 $2,130

$1,608 CA$2,273

32.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,448 $2,448

$5,113 CA$7,228

-52.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,699 $2,699

$3,744 CA$5,293

-27.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

4.48

45.09%

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

Last update for Chester, 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

Chester, CA

$1.3K 49.5%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 24.9% $323

Groceries & Markets

Chester, CA

$460 17.5%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 23.7% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chester, CA

$357 13.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 57.1% $204

Eating Out

Chester, CA

$271 10.3%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 7.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chester, CA

$148 5.6%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 9.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chester, CA

$70 2.7%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 23% $16

Getting Around

Chester, CA

$23 * 0.9%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 338% $77

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 $1,604 in Chester, CA and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Chester, CA vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $460 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Chester, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

3 h ahead of Chester, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,801

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

Chester, CA Montreal 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chester, 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

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

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Chester, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,944 in Chester, CA and $3,089 in Montreal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,604 in Chester, 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 31% higher in Chester, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,629 per month in Chester, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,629 in Chester, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Chester, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chester, 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 28% less than in Chester, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.