Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, MO and Montreal

For one person, living costs are similar in Columbia, MO and in Montreal: $2,049 and $2,059 a month, rent and utilities included.

100

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, MO
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Columbia, MO Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Columbia, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,049

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,049 in Columbia, MO versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Columbia, MO $2,049
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,865 in Columbia, MO versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Columbia, MO $2,865
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Columbia, MO versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Columbia, MO $3,682
Montreal $4,187

Living in Columbia, MO costs roughly 1% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, MO 51% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.12 $16.12

$18.84 CA$26.63

-14.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 $73.2

$73.2 CA$104

-0.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.84 $11.84

$10.54 CA$14.90

12.33%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$3.97 CA$5.61

18.89%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.94 CA$2.74

27.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.57 CA$2.22

37.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$6.42 CA$9.08

-21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 $5.56

$7.20 CA$10.19

-22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$2.32 CA$3.28

-53.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 $2.80

$3.19 CA$4.51

-12.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.19 CA$4.50

35.74%

Eggs

$3.40 $3.40

$3.68 CA$5.20

-7.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 $11.34

$13.24 CA$18.72

-14.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 $12.01

$11.69 CA$16.53

2.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$13.98 CA$19.76

1.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.14 CA$4.44

29.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 $1.91

$1.45 CA$2.05

31.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.38 CA$4.78

32.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.11 CA$4.40

46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.93 CA$2.72

47.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.83 CA$2.58

41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.36 CA$3.34

-29.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.50 CA$2.12

36.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 $8.01

$11.12 CA$15.73

-27.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.74 $16.74

$10.60 CA$14.98

57.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.22 CA$3.14

-11.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.84 CA$4.01

-16.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.23 CA$4.56

47.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.48 CA$2.10

-31.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 $22.83

$32.22 CA$45.55

-29.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.36 CA$1.92

-22.79%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

29.21%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

22.86%

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

$179 $179

$77.0 CA$109

132.45%

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

$46.85 $46.85

$34.14 CA$48.26

37.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.6 $57.6

$42.19 CA$59.7

36.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.12 $30.12

$30.81 CA$43.56

-2.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.35 $23.35

$19.66 CA$27.79

18.77%

Cinema Ticket

$12.91 $12.91

$11.47 CA$16.22

12.55%

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

$1,185 $1,185

$506 CA$716

134.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K $12.9K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-20.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.26 $48.26

$57.3 CA$81.0

-15.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.10 $33.10

$38.10 CA$53.9

-13.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 $94.2

$91.9 CA$130

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.3 $86.3

$110 CA$155

-21.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 $1,221

$1,237 CA$1,748

-1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 $934

$977 CA$1,381

-4.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$2,180 CA$3,082

-16.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 $1,170

$1,608 CA$2,273

-27.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 $2,061

$5,113 CA$7,228

-59.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,877 $1,877

$3,744 CA$5,293

-49.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,084 $4,084

$2,957 CA$4,180

38.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.54

4.48

45.98%

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

Last update for Columbia, MO: October 20, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, MO

$934 45.6%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 4.6% $43

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, MO

$372 18.1%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 5.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, MO

$284 13.8%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 45.9% $130

Eating Out

Columbia, MO

$276 13.5%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 5.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, MO

$118 5.8%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 13.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, MO

$56 2.7%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 3.9% $2.2

Getting Around

Columbia, MO

$9.8 * 0.5%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 924% $90

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 $1,221 in Columbia, MO and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, MO pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Columbia, MO vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $372 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, MO

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h ahead of Columbia, MO

🌤 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Columbia, MO Montreal 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Columbia, MO is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Columbia, MO, 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: $1,221 in Columbia, MO versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,185 in Columbia, MO 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 Columbia, MO – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,049 in Columbia, MO versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Columbia, MO but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Columbia, MO the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Columbia, MO is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Columbia, MO 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 Columbia, MO gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.