Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Columbia, TN and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,317 in Columbia, TN, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Columbia, TN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Columbia, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,317

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,317 in Columbia, TN versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Columbia, TN $2,317
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Columbia, TN versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Columbia, TN $3,477
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,637 in Columbia, TN versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Columbia, TN $4,637
Montreal $4,152

Living in Columbia, TN is roughly 15% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Columbia, TN 72% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.87 $11.87

$18.82 CA$26.61

-36.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.4 $60.4

$70.3 CA$99.4

-14.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 $10.08

$10.66 CA$15.06

-5.44%

Cappuccino

$3.95 $3.95

$3.84 CA$5.43

2.86%

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

$2.22 $2.22

$1.92 CA$2.71

15.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.54 CA$2.18

2.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 $6.38

$6.23 CA$8.81

2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.27 $7.27

$7.10 CA$10.03

2.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.31 CA$3.27

-58.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.14 CA$4.44

-5.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.21 CA$4.54

27.73%

Eggs

$2.61 $2.61

$3.52 CA$4.97

-25.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$12.81 CA$18.11

3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$11.46 CA$16.20

-42.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 $13.43

$13.39 CA$18.92

0.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$3.14 CA$4.43

77.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.44 CA$2.03

-15.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$3.47 CA$4.91

65.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.07 CA$4.34

29.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.90 CA$2.69

65.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.77 CA$2.50

135.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.34 CA$3.31

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 $2.12

$1.55 CA$2.19

36.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$11.38 CA$16.09

-6.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 $13.11

$10.63 CA$15.03

23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.27 CA$3.21

-22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$2.82 CA$3.99

-44.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.20 CA$4.53

-39.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.48 CA$2.09

-4.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.79 $19.79

$32.88 CA$46.48

-39.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.34 CA$1.90

-43.28%

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

$37.6K $37.6K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

33.56%

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

$27.4K $27.4K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

39.54%

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

$157 $157

$76.0 CA$107

106.25%

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

$60.2 $60.2

$33.95 CA$48.00

77.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.9 $74.9

$42.31 CA$59.8

77.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.38 $34.38

$29.76 CA$42.07

15.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.60 $12.60

$11.15 CA$15.77

13.00%

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

$1,696 $1,696

$507 CA$717

234.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

54.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.58 $40.58

$57.6 CA$81.4

-29.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 $33.45

$37.58 CA$53.1

-10.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 $82.6

$91.9 CA$130

-10.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 $88.6

$110 CA$155

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

$1,260 CA$1,782

17.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 $1,265

$948 CA$1,340

33.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,490 $2,490

$2,137 CA$3,021

16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,343 $2,343

$1,614 CA$2,281

45.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

4.48

47.32%

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

Last update for Columbia, TN: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Columbia, TN

$1.3K 54.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 25.1% $317

Groceries & Markets

Columbia, TN

$348 15%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 0.4% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Columbia, TN

$292 12.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 47.8% $140

Eating Out

Columbia, TN

$234 10.1%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 22.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Columbia, TN

$110 4.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 21% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Columbia, TN

$60 2.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 12.6% $7.5

Getting Around

Columbia, TN

$9 * 0.4%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 995% $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 $1,476 in Columbia, TN and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $60.0 in Columbia, TN vs $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $346, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Columbia, TN

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

21:02 9:02 PM

1 h ahead of Columbia, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

672,228

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 →

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Between locations

Columbia, TN Montreal 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,476 in Columbia, TN and $3,027 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: $1,476 in Columbia, TN versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,696 in Columbia, TN versus $507 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 $70.0 versus $60.0 in Columbia, TN. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,317 in Columbia, TN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Columbia, TN. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Columbia, TN 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 15% less than in Columbia, TN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.