Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Crystal Lake, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Crystal Lake, IL
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Crystal Lake, IL Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Crystal Lake, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,999

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,999 per month in Crystal Lake, IL vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Crystal Lake, IL $2,999
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $4,051 per month in Crystal Lake, IL vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Crystal Lake, IL $4,051
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $5,103 per month in Crystal Lake, IL vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Crystal Lake, IL $5,103
Montreal $4,187

Crystal Lake, IL costs about 46% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Crystal Lake, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Crystal Lake, IL by 121%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 $19.75

$18.84 CA$26.63

4.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 $66.9

$73.2 CA$104

-8.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.93 $12.93

$10.54 CA$14.90

22.68%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.97 CA$5.61

42.82%

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

$3.07 $3.07

$1.94 CA$2.74

58.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.57 CA$2.22

55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 $7.10

$6.42 CA$9.08

10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 $8.04

$7.20 CA$10.19

11.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$2.32 CA$3.28

-59.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.19 CA$4.51

7.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$3.19 CA$4.50

36.05%

Eggs

$3.72 $3.72

$3.68 CA$5.20

1.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 $14.83

$13.24 CA$18.72

12.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$11.69 CA$16.53

11.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.90 $19.90

$13.98 CA$19.76

42.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.14 CA$4.44

47.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.45 CA$2.05

13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.38 CA$4.78

59.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$3.11 CA$4.40

55.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$1.93 CA$2.72

48.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.83 CA$2.58

62.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.36 CA$3.34

-8.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 $2.41

$1.50 CA$2.12

60.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.12 CA$15.73

-2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.49 $15.49

$10.60 CA$14.98

46.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.22 CA$3.14

20.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 $4.55

$2.84 CA$4.01

60.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.62 CA$3.71

-14.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.23 CA$4.56

21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.48 CA$2.10

31.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.13 $44.13

$32.22 CA$45.55

36.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.36 CA$1.92

-27.21%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

11.02%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

24.05%

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

$273 $273

$77.0 CA$109

254.30%

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

$52.1 $52.1

$34.14 CA$48.26

52.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.5 $81.5

$42.19 CA$59.7

93.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 $36.73

$30.81 CA$43.56

19.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 $14.86

$11.47 CA$16.22

29.56%

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

$1,706 $1,706

$506 CA$716

237.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

42.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 $65.1

$57.3 CA$81.0

13.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 $51.2

$38.10 CA$53.9

34.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$91.9 CA$130

15.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$110 CA$155

8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,622 $1,622

$1,237 CA$1,748

31.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,582 $1,582

$977 CA$1,381

61.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,470 $2,470

$2,180 CA$3,082

13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,127 $2,127

$1,608 CA$2,273

32.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,626 $2,626

$5,113 CA$7,228

-48.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,034 $2,034

$3,744 CA$5,293

-45.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.48

49.33%

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

Last update for Crystal Lake, IL: 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

Crystal Lake, IL

$1.6K 52.7%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 38.2% $605

Groceries & Markets

Crystal Lake, IL

$429 14.3%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 18.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Crystal Lake, IL

$406 13.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 62.3% $253

Eating Out

Crystal Lake, IL

$338 11.3%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 14.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Crystal Lake, IL

$154 5.1%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 13.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Crystal Lake, IL

$66 2.2%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 19.1% $13

Getting Around

Crystal Lake, IL

$23 * 0.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 344% $78

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,622 in Crystal Lake, IL versus $1,237 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL versus $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $429 in Crystal Lake, IL vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Crystal Lake, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h ahead of Crystal Lake, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,269

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

Crystal Lake, IL Montreal 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Crystal Lake, IL
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

Crystal Lake, IL vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL, $2,059 in Montreal – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,498 per month in Crystal Lake, IL and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Crystal Lake, IL and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Crystal Lake, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Crystal Lake, IL at $2,999. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Crystal Lake, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,059 in Montreal to $2,999 in Crystal Lake, IL. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Crystal Lake, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.