Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eau Claire, WI and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,182 in Eau Claire, WI, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Eau Claire, WI
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Eau Claire, WI Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Eau Claire, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,182

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,182 in Eau Claire, WI versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Eau Claire, WI $2,182
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,118 in Eau Claire, WI versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Eau Claire, WI $3,118
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,054 in Eau Claire, WI versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Eau Claire, WI $4,054
Montreal $4,187

Living in Eau Claire, WI is roughly 6% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Eau Claire, WI 61% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.86 $18.86

$18.84 CA$26.63

0.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 $66.4

$73.2 CA$104

-9.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 $9.85

$10.54 CA$14.90

-6.55%

Cappuccino

$5.19 $5.19

$3.97 CA$5.61

30.73%

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

$2.73 $2.73

$1.94 CA$2.74

40.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.57 CA$2.22

-6.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$6.42 CA$9.08

-36.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 $6.16

$7.20 CA$10.19

-14.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$2.32 CA$3.28

-64.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 $3.39

$3.19 CA$4.51

6.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 $4.28

$3.19 CA$4.50

34.17%

Eggs

$3.65 $3.65

$3.68 CA$5.20

-0.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 $12.96

$13.24 CA$18.72

-2.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.40 $13.40

$11.69 CA$16.53

14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$13.98 CA$19.76

4.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 $4.63

$3.14 CA$4.44

47.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.45 CA$2.05

-15.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$3.38 CA$4.78

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$3.11 CA$4.40

59.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.93 CA$2.72

47.15%

Onion (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.83 CA$2.58

69.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 $1.50

$2.36 CA$3.34

-36.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 $2.34

$1.50 CA$2.12

56.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.63 $10.63

$11.12 CA$15.73

-4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.84 $14.84

$10.60 CA$14.98

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.22 CA$3.14

-3.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.84 CA$4.01

59.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.62 CA$3.71

-20.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.80 $49.80

$79.1 CA$112

-37.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.23 CA$4.56

23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.48 CA$2.10

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.96 $42.96

$32.22 CA$45.55

33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.36 CA$1.92

-35.29%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-3.10%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

19.53%

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

$216 $216

$77.0 CA$109

179.93%

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

$48.81 $48.81

$34.14 CA$48.26

42.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.0 $69.0

$42.19 CA$59.7

63.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 $56.0

$30.81 CA$43.56

81.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.14 $20.14

$19.66 CA$27.79

2.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 $11.07

$11.47 CA$16.22

-3.49%

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

$996 $996

$506 CA$716

96.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

43.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.99 $48.99

$57.3 CA$81.0

-14.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.26 $30.26

$38.10 CA$53.9

-20.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$91.9 CA$130

17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 $82.1

$110 CA$155

-25.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 $1,028

$1,237 CA$1,748

-16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 $894

$977 CA$1,381

-8.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$2,180 CA$3,082

-16.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 $1,260

$1,608 CA$2,273

-21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,149 $2,149

$5,113 CA$7,228

-57.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,946 $1,946

$3,744 CA$5,293

-48.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,910 $3,910

$2,957 CA$4,180

32.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

4.48

48.44%

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

Last update for Eau Claire, WI: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Eau Claire, WI

$894 41%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 9.2% $82

Groceries & Markets

Eau Claire, WI

$391 17.9%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 10.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eau Claire, WI

$333 15.3%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 54% $180

Eating Out

Eau Claire, WI

$292 13.4%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 0.6% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Eau Claire, WI

$121 5.6%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 10.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Eau Claire, WI

$78 3.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 31.2% $24

Getting Around

Eau Claire, WI

$72 3.3%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 38.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Eau Claire, WI and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eau Claire, WI pays 32% 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: $66.0 in Eau Claire, WI vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $391 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Eau Claire, WI

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

14:03 2:03 PM

1 h ahead of Eau Claire, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,802

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 →

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Between locations

Eau Claire, WI Montreal 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Eau Claire, WI
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

Eau Claire, WI vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Eau Claire, WI, 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: $1,028 in Eau Claire, WI versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Eau Claire, WI. 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 $73.0 versus $66.0 in Eau Claire, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,182 in Eau Claire, WI, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Eau Claire, WI. 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 Eau Claire, WI, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Eau Claire, WI 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 6% less than in Eau Claire, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.