Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Elgin, IL: $1,035 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Elgin, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,035

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Elgin, IL $1,035
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,614 in Elgin, IL versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Elgin, IL $2,614
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,192 in Elgin, IL versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Elgin, IL $4,192
Montreal $4,092

Living in Elgin, IL costs roughly 48% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elgin, IL is 23% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.93 $19.93

$19.31 CA$27.52

3.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 $59.5

$75.5 CA$108

-21.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 $10.07

$10.63 CA$15.15

-5.27%

Cappuccino

$3.90 $3.90

$3.93 CA$5.60

-0.76%

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

$3.03 $3.03

$1.92 CA$2.73

57.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.48 CA$2.11

38.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$6.30 CA$8.98

-5.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 $4.92

$7.19 CA$10.24

-31.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.22 CA$3.17

-59.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.06 CA$4.36

15.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.94 CA$4.19

47.62%

Eggs

$3.73 $3.73

$3.53 CA$5.03

5.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 $11.35

$13.19 CA$18.79

-13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.45 $13.45

$11.24 CA$16.02

19.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.71 $11.71

$13.81 CA$19.69

-15.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 $4.49

$3.40 CA$4.85

32.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.44 CA$2.06

-11.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$3.26 CA$4.65

-21.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 $4.22

$2.88 CA$4.10

46.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.86 CA$2.65

6.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.82 CA$2.60

14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.43 CA$3.46

-24.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.52 CA$2.17

55.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 $10.79

$11.45 CA$16.32

-5.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$10.36 CA$14.76

50.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$2.22 CA$3.16

18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.82 CA$4.02

23.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.25 CA$4.64

24.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.48 CA$2.11

36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 $28.28

$33.04 CA$47.09

-14.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.36 CA$1.94

-23.53%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

33.18%

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

$24.9K $24.9K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

24.81%

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

$99.4 $99.4

$76.1 CA$109

30.53%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$34.68 CA$49.43

50.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.61 $49.61

$42.69 CA$60.9

16.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$11.21 CA$15.98

31.67%

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

$1,690 $1,690

$505 CA$720

234.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K $23.2K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

44.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.27 $39.27

$58.5 CA$83.4

-32.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 $50.2

$38.00 CA$54.2

32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 $100

$92.7 CA$132

8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$106 CA$151

15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,175 $2,175

$2,102 CA$2,996

3.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,811 $1,811

$1,615 CA$2,302

12.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,192 $2,192

$5,043 CA$7,188

-56.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,211 $2,211

$3,830 CA$5,459

-42.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,971 $3,971

$2,920 CA$4,163

35.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.46

50.00%

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

Last update for Elgin, IL: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elgin, IL

$371 35.3%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 7.5% $28

Eating Out

Elgin, IL

$296 28.1%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 1.2% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elgin, IL

$201 19.1%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 23.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Elgin, IL

$141 13.3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 5.5% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Elgin, IL

$30 * 2.8%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 74% $22

Getting Around

Elgin, IL

$14 * 1.4%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 591% $84

Accommodation & Living

Elgin, IL

- * 0%

Montreal

$986 47.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Elgin, IL pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Elgin, IL vs $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $371 vs $344, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Elgin, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

1 h ahead of Elgin, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,603

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Elgin, IL Montreal 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Elgin, 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

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

Elgin, IL is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 36% higher in Elgin, IL, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,690 in Elgin, IL versus $505 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Elgin, IL – a meal for two runs $59.0 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,035 in Elgin, IL versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Elgin, IL but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Elgin, IL the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Elgin, 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 Elgin, IL gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.