Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, KY and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,516 in Columbia, KY, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, KY
Learn more

Columbia, KY Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Columbia, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,516

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,516 in Columbia, KY versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Columbia, KY $2,516
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,869 in Columbia, KY versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Columbia, KY $3,869
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,221 in Columbia, KY versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Columbia, KY $5,221
Montreal $4,187

Living in Columbia, KY is roughly 22% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, KY 86% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.28 $17.28

$18.84 CA$26.63

-8.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 $83.2

$73.2 CA$104

13.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.42 $10.42

$10.54 CA$14.90

-1.14%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$3.97 CA$5.61

49.62%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.94 CA$2.74

38.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.57 CA$2.22

15.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 $6.05

$6.42 CA$9.08

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 $6.80

$7.20 CA$10.19

-5.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.32 CA$3.28

-57.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.19 CA$4.51

8.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$3.19 CA$4.50

39.18%

Eggs

$4.25 $4.25

$3.68 CA$5.20

15.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.15 $12.15

$13.24 CA$18.72

-8.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$11.69 CA$16.53

-0.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 $17.24

$13.98 CA$19.76

23.32%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.14 CA$4.44

61.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.45 CA$2.05

14.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$3.38 CA$4.78

30.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$3.11 CA$4.40

54.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.93 CA$2.72

45.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.83 CA$2.58

65.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.36 CA$3.34

-10.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.50 CA$2.12

47.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 $10.32

$11.12 CA$15.73

-7.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.88 $13.88

$10.60 CA$14.98

30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.22 CA$3.14

-7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.84 CA$4.01

5.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.62 CA$3.71

-20.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 $3.11

$3.23 CA$4.56

-3.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.48 CA$2.10

34.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.87 $25.87

$32.22 CA$45.55

-19.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.36 CA$1.92

-25.00%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-6.11%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

29.45%

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

$196 $196

$77.0 CA$109

154.74%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$34.14 CA$48.26

71.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$42.19 CA$59.7

66.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.28 $42.28

$30.81 CA$43.56

37.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 $12.09

$11.47 CA$16.22

5.41%

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

$1,404 $1,404

$506 CA$716

177.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

48.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.91 $45.91

$57.3 CA$81.0

-19.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 $36.44

$38.10 CA$53.9

-4.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 $94.6

$91.9 CA$130

2.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$110 CA$155

2.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 $1,580

$1,237 CA$1,748

27.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$977 CA$1,381

30.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,318 $2,318

$2,180 CA$3,082

6.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 $2,435

$1,608 CA$2,273

51.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,565 $2,565

$5,113 CA$7,228

-49.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,637 $2,637

$3,744 CA$5,293

-29.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.48

46.65%

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

Last update for Columbia, KY: 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

Columbia, KY

$1.3K 50.7%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 23.4% $298

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, KY

$396 15.7%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 11.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, KY

$325 12.9%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 52.8% $172

Eating Out

Columbia, KY

$303 12%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, KY

$130 5.2%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 2.8% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, KY

$66 2.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 19.1% $13

Getting Around

Columbia, KY

$21 * 0.9%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 369% $79

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 $1,580 in Columbia, KY and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Columbia, KY vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $351 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, KY

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

06:23 6:23 AM

1 h ahead of Columbia, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,698

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Columbia, KY Montreal 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Columbia, KY
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

Columbia, KY vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbia, KY and Montreal differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,516 vs $2,059 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,774 in Columbia, KY 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: $1,580 in Columbia, KY versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,404 in Columbia, KY versus $506 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $83.0 in Columbia, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,516 in Columbia, KY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Columbia, KY. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Columbia, KY 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 22% less than in Columbia, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.