Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Des Plaines, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Des Plaines, IL
Learn more

Des Plaines, IL Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Des Plaines, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$3,023

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Des Plaines, IL $3,023
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,419 in Des Plaines, IL versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Des Plaines, IL $4,419
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,815 in Des Plaines, IL versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Des Plaines, IL $5,815
Montreal $4,152

Living in Des Plaines, IL is roughly 50% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Des Plaines, IL 124% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.29 $21.29

$18.82 CA$26.61

13.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.1 $89.1

$70.3 CA$99.4

26.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 $13.10

$10.66 CA$15.06

22.89%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.84 CA$5.43

47.92%

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

$2.61 $2.61

$1.92 CA$2.71

35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.54 CA$2.18

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.05 $7.05

$6.23 CA$8.81

13.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 $8.22

$7.10 CA$10.03

15.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.31 CA$3.27

-60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.14 CA$4.44

8.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.21 CA$4.54

30.84%

Eggs

$4.23 $4.23

$3.52 CA$4.97

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.74 $14.74

$12.81 CA$18.11

15.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.04 $13.04

$11.46 CA$16.20

13.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.82 $18.82

$13.39 CA$18.92

40.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.14 CA$4.43

46.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.44 CA$2.03

15.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 $4.16

$3.47 CA$4.91

19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$3.07 CA$4.34

60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$1.90 CA$2.69

42.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.77 CA$2.50

53.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.34 CA$3.31

-10.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.55 CA$2.19

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.90 $10.90

$11.38 CA$16.09

-4.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.97 $14.97

$10.63 CA$15.03

40.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.27 CA$3.21

13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 $3.35

$2.82 CA$3.99

18.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.66 CA$3.76

-26.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 $60.0

$77.3 CA$109

-22.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.20 CA$4.53

2.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.48 CA$2.09

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.88 $24.88

$32.88 CA$46.48

-24.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.34 CA$1.90

-26.12%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

28.38%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

31.15%

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

$192 $192

$76.0 CA$107

152.74%

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

$59.2 $59.2

$33.95 CA$48.00

74.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.0 $76.0

$42.31 CA$59.8

79.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$123 $123

$29.76 CA$42.07

312.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.32 $39.32

$20.28 CA$28.67

93.89%

Cinema Ticket

$14.72 $14.72

$11.15 CA$15.77

32.02%

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

$1,563 $1,563

$507 CA$717

208.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K $23.7K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

47.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 $64.9

$57.6 CA$81.4

12.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$37.58 CA$53.1

35.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$91.9 CA$130

9.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$110 CA$155

9.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 $2,084

$1,260 CA$1,782

65.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 $1,548

$948 CA$1,340

63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,937 $3,937

$2,137 CA$3,021

84.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 $2,485

$1,614 CA$2,281

53.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,279 $3,279

$4,960 CA$7,011

-33.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,480 $2,480

$3,838 CA$5,425

-35.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,121 $6,121

$2,827 CA$3,997

116.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

4.48

51.12%

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

Last update for Des Plaines, IL: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Des Plaines, IL

$1.5K 51.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 38.8% $600

Groceries & Markets

Des Plaines, IL

$418 13.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 17.1% $71

Eating Out

Des Plaines, IL

$349 11.5%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 17.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Des Plaines, IL

$327 10.8%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 53.5% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Des Plaines, IL

$152 5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 65.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Des Plaines, IL

$151 5%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 11.8% $18

Getting Around

Des Plaines, IL

$78 2.6%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 26.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Des Plaines, IL pays 116% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $418 vs $346 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Des Plaines, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

16:30 4:30 PM

1 h ahead of Des Plaines, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,675

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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Des Plaines, IL Montreal 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Des Plaines, 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

Des Plaines, IL vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Des Plaines, IL and Montreal differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($3,023 vs $2,018 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 116% higher in Des Plaines, IL, 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: $2,084 in Des Plaines, IL versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Des Plaines, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $89.0 in Des Plaines, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $3,023 in Des Plaines, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Des Plaines, IL. 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, Des Plaines, IL 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 50% less than in Des Plaines, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.