Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Evanston, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,592 in Evanston, IL, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

125

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Evanston, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,592

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Evanston, IL vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Evanston, IL $2,592
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $4,449 per month in Evanston, IL vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Evanston, IL $4,449
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $6,305 per month in Evanston, IL vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Evanston, IL $6,305
Montreal $4,152

Evanston, IL costs about 28% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Evanston, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Evanston, IL by 92%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 $21.26

$18.82 CA$26.61

12.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 $85.6

$70.3 CA$99.4

21.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.75 $12.75

$10.66 CA$15.06

19.61%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.84 CA$5.43

47.92%

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

$2.68 $2.68

$1.92 CA$2.71

39.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$1.54 CA$2.18

47.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$6.23 CA$8.81

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 $8.19

$7.10 CA$10.03

15.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.31 CA$3.27

-54.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.93 $3.93

$3.14 CA$4.44

25.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$3.21 CA$4.54

34.58%

Eggs

$4.82 $4.82

$3.52 CA$4.97

36.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 $14.41

$12.81 CA$18.11

12.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 $14.93

$11.46 CA$16.20

30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.11 $20.11

$13.39 CA$18.92

50.19%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$3.14 CA$4.43

69.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.44 CA$2.03

15.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.03 $4.03

$3.47 CA$4.91

16.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.07 CA$4.34

55.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.68 $2.68

$1.90 CA$2.69

41.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.77 CA$2.50

61.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.34 CA$3.31

-10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.55 CA$2.19

51.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.66 $10.66

$11.38 CA$16.09

-6.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.98 $14.98

$10.63 CA$15.03

40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.27 CA$3.21

12.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.82 CA$3.99

20.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.66 CA$3.76

-8.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.2 $75.2

$77.3 CA$109

-2.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.20 CA$4.53

28.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.48 CA$2.09

-3.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.26 $43.26

$32.88 CA$46.48

31.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 $1.00

$1.34 CA$1.90

-25.37%

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

$35.4K $35.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

25.69%

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

$25.0K $25.0K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

27.14%

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

$192 $192

$76.0 CA$107

152.65%

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

$61.6 $61.6

$33.95 CA$48.00

81.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 $72.2

$42.31 CA$59.8

70.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 $76.1

$29.76 CA$42.07

155.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$60.8 $60.8

$20.28 CA$28.67

199.56%

Cinema Ticket

$14.83 $14.83

$11.15 CA$15.77

33.00%

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

$1,516 $1,516

$507 CA$717

198.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.6K $31.6K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

96.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 $64.7

$57.6 CA$81.4

12.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$37.58 CA$53.1

35.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$91.9 CA$130

17.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$110 CA$155

15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 $1,645

$1,260 CA$1,782

30.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,118 $1,118

$948 CA$1,340

17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,989 $3,989

$2,137 CA$3,021

86.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,954 $2,954

$1,614 CA$2,281

83.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.6K $14.6K

$4,960 CA$7,011

193.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.8K $12.8K

$3,838 CA$5,425

233.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,335 $5,335

$2,827 CA$3,997

88.67%

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 Evanston, 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

Evanston, IL

$1.1K 43.1%

Montreal

$948 47% 15.2% $170

Groceries & Markets

Evanston, IL

$441 17%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 21.5% $95

Eating Out

Evanston, IL

$348 13.4%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 17.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Evanston, IL

$326 12.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 53.3% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Evanston, IL

$157 6.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 15.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Evanston, IL

$106 4.1%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 50.8% $54

Getting Around

Evanston, IL

$96 3.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 2.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,645 in Evanston, IL versus $1,260 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 89% higher in Evanston, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Evanston, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h ahead of Evanston, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,486

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Evanston, IL Montreal 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Evanston, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,592 in Evanston, IL, $2,018 in Montreal – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,888 per month in Evanston, IL and $3,027 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.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Evanston, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86.0 in Evanston, IL and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Evanston, IL at $2,592. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Evanston, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Evanston, IL has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,018 in Montreal to $2,592 in Evanston, 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, Evanston, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.