Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Effingham, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,500 in Effingham, IL, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Effingham, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

121

Cost of Living Index in Effingham, IL
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Effingham, IL Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Effingham, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,500

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in Effingham, IL versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Effingham, IL $2,500
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,556 in Effingham, IL versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Effingham, IL $3,556
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,612 in Effingham, IL versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Effingham, IL $4,612
Montreal $4,187

Living in Effingham, IL is roughly 21% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Effingham, IL 84% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.06 $15.06

$18.84 CA$26.63

-20.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.89 $44.89

$73.2 CA$104

-38.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 $11.95

$10.54 CA$14.90

13.38%

Cappuccino

$5.53 $5.53

$3.97 CA$5.61

39.29%

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

$3.21 $3.21

$1.94 CA$2.74

65.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.57 CA$2.22

69.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$6.42 CA$9.08

-21.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 $7.04

$7.20 CA$10.19

-2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.32 CA$3.28

-61.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.19 CA$4.51

6.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.19 CA$4.50

40.44%

Eggs

$3.67 $3.67

$3.68 CA$5.20

-0.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 $12.49

$13.24 CA$18.72

-5.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 $10.81

$11.69 CA$16.53

-7.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.77 $16.77

$13.98 CA$19.76

19.96%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$3.14 CA$4.44

82.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.45 CA$2.05

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 $4.72

$3.38 CA$4.78

39.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.37 $4.37

$3.11 CA$4.40

40.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 $2.23

$1.93 CA$2.72

15.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.83 CA$2.58

-40.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.36 CA$3.34

3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.50 CA$2.12

62.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 $10.84

$11.12 CA$15.73

-2.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.88 $11.88

$10.60 CA$14.98

12.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 $2.00

$2.22 CA$3.14

-9.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.84 CA$4.01

28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.62 CA$3.71

-29.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 $1.95

$3.23 CA$4.56

-39.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.48 CA$2.10

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.78 $33.78

$32.22 CA$45.55

4.84%

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)

$30.1K $30.1K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

8.84%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

23.65%

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

$229 $229

$77.0 CA$109

197.81%

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

$44.95 $44.95

$34.14 CA$48.26

31.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 $65.4

$42.19 CA$59.7

55.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 $41.33

$30.81 CA$43.56

34.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$11.47 CA$16.22

30.60%

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

$1,729 $1,729

$506 CA$716

241.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K $24.1K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

48.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 $45.09

$57.3 CA$81.0

-21.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.03 $35.03

$38.10 CA$53.9

-8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 $85.7

$91.9 CA$130

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.2 $65.2

$110 CA$155

-40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,628 $1,628

$1,237 CA$1,748

31.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 $1,297

$977 CA$1,381

32.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 $2,487

$2,180 CA$3,082

14.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 $2,146

$1,608 CA$2,273

33.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 $2,804

$5,113 CA$7,228

-45.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,326 $2,326

$3,744 CA$5,293

-37.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.48

46.65%

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

Last update for Effingham, IL: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Effingham, IL

$1.3K 51.9%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 24.7% $320

Groceries & Markets

Effingham, IL

$384 15.4%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 8.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Effingham, IL

$340 13.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 54.9% $186

Eating Out

Effingham, IL

$285 11.4%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 1.8% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Effingham, IL

$104 4.2%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 28.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Effingham, IL

$71 2.9%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 24.6% $18

Getting Around

Effingham, IL

$18 * 0.7%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 454% $82

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 $1,628 in Effingham, IL and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Effingham, IL vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Effingham, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Effingham, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,447

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

Effingham, IL Montreal 1,420 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Effingham, 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

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

Effingham, IL and Montreal differ by about 21% in total monthly costs ($2,500 vs $2,059 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,750 in Effingham, IL and $3,089 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: $1,628 in Effingham, IL versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Effingham, IL. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,500 per month in Effingham, IL versus $2,059 in Montreal – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,500 in Effingham, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Effingham, 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, Effingham, 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 21% less than in Effingham, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.