Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cochrane and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Cochrane: $1,074 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Cochrane
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Cochrane Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cochrane

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,074

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,074 in Cochrane versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Cochrane $1,074
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,385 in Cochrane versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Cochrane $2,385
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,696 in Cochrane versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Cochrane $3,696
Montreal $4,152

Living in Cochrane costs roughly 47% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cochrane is 20% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 CA$24.70

$18.82 CA$26.61

-7.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 CA$99.3

$70.3 CA$99.4

-0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 CA$14.00

$10.66 CA$15.06

-7.13%

Cappuccino

$3.82 CA$5.40

$3.84 CA$5.43

-0.52%

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

$2.33 CA$3.29

$1.92 CA$2.71

21.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.54 CA$2.18

5.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 CA$8.04

$6.23 CA$8.81

-8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.08

$7.10 CA$10.03

-19.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$2.31 CA$3.27

-32.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 CA$2.93

$3.14 CA$4.44

-34.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 CA$4.21

$3.21 CA$4.54

-7.17%

Eggs

$3.22 CA$4.55

$3.52 CA$4.97

-8.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 CA$12.13

$12.81 CA$18.11

-33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.42 CA$11.90

$11.46 CA$16.20

-26.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.57 CA$12.12

$13.39 CA$18.92

-36.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.07

$3.14 CA$4.43

36.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.44 CA$2.03

-4.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 CA$6.19

$3.47 CA$4.91

26.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 CA$2.03

$3.07 CA$4.34

-53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.94

$1.90 CA$2.69

-27.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.44

$2.34 CA$3.31

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.55 CA$2.19

12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 CA$19.51

$11.38 CA$16.09

21.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 CA$11.54

$10.63 CA$15.03

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 CA$4.36

$2.27 CA$3.21

35.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 CA$4.18

$2.82 CA$3.99

4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$2.66 CA$3.76

30.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$3.20 CA$4.53

-8.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.48 CA$2.09

-6.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.15

$32.88 CA$46.48

-35.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.34 CA$1.90

-20.90%

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

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-1.91%

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

$19.5K CA$27.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-0.42%

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

$207 CA$292

$76.0 CA$107

172.25%

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

$42.87 CA$60.6

$33.95 CA$48.00

26.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CA$76.9

$42.31 CA$59.8

28.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 CA$63.4

$29.76 CA$42.07

50.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 CA$18.24

$11.15 CA$15.77

15.70%

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

$752 CA$1,063

$507 CA$717

48.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,571 CA$13.5K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-40.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.60 CA$60.2

$57.6 CA$81.4

-25.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.15 CA$63.8

$37.58 CA$53.1

20.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$118

$91.9 CA$130

-9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.7 CA$134

$110 CA$155

-13.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 CA$1,671

$1,260 CA$1,782

-6.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,725 CA$2,438

$2,137 CA$3,021

-19.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,344 CA$1,900

$1,614 CA$2,281

-16.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.6K CA$31.9K

$4,960 CA$7,011

354.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,061 CA$5,740

$2,827 CA$3,997

43.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

4.48

-3.57%

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

Last update for Cochrane: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cochrane

$304 28.3%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 49.9% $152

Groceries & Markets

Cochrane

$285 26.5%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 21.5% $61

Eating Out

Cochrane

$271 25.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 6.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cochrane

$120 11.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 11.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Cochrane

$71 6.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 26.3% $19

Getting Around

Cochrane

$24 * 2.2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 316% $75

Accommodation & Living

Cochrane

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

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 $1,182 in Cochrane and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cochrane pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Cochrane vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $346 per month, with Cochrane cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Cochrane

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

2 h ahead of Cochrane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,000

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cochrane Montreal 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cochrane
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

Cochrane vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cochrane wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cochrane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Cochrane, 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: $1,182 in Cochrane versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,074 per month in Cochrane versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,074 in Cochrane versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cochrane but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Cochrane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cochrane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,074 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cochrane hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cochrane 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 Cochrane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.