Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort St John, BC and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,949 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Fort St John, BC $1,949
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,002 in Fort St John, BC versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Fort St John, BC $3,002
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,055 in Fort St John, BC versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Fort St John, BC $4,055
Montreal $4,187

Living in Fort St John, BC costs roughly 5% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fort St John, BC 44% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 CA$25.02

$18.84 CA$26.63

-6.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.02 CA$59.4

$73.2 CA$104

-42.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 CA$13.22

$10.54 CA$14.90

-11.29%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.49

$3.97 CA$5.61

-2.02%

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

$1.82 CA$2.58

$1.94 CA$2.74

-6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.73

$1.57 CA$2.22

-22.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$6.42 CA$9.08

-3.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 CA$6.38

$7.20 CA$10.19

-37.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.34 CA$4.72

$2.32 CA$3.28

43.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$3.19 CA$4.51

-12.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.17

$3.19 CA$4.50

14.73%

Eggs

$4.18 CA$5.90

$3.68 CA$5.20

13.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 CA$16.99

$13.24 CA$18.72

-9.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 CA$19.36

$11.69 CA$16.53

17.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.57 CA$26.26

$13.98 CA$19.76

32.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$3.14 CA$4.44

82.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 CA$1.03

$1.45 CA$2.05

-49.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$3.38 CA$4.78

11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.11

$3.11 CA$4.40

16.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$1.93 CA$2.72

46.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$1.83 CA$2.58

50.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 CA$3.03

$2.36 CA$3.34

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.57

$1.50 CA$2.12

68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.36 CA$20.29

$11.12 CA$15.73

29.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.42 CA$30.29

$10.60 CA$14.98

102.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 CA$6.85

$2.22 CA$3.14

118.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.91

$2.84 CA$4.01

97.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.62 CA$3.71

-45.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 CA$40.80

$79.1 CA$112

-63.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.36 CA$1.92

-8.09%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

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

$126 CA$178

$77.0 CA$109

63.28%

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

$101 CA$142

$34.14 CA$48.26

194.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 CA$86.2

$42.19 CA$59.7

44.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.48 CA$19.06

$30.81 CA$43.56

-56.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.94

$11.47 CA$16.22

-7.93%

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

$697 CA$985

$506 CA$716

37.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 CA$101

$57.3 CA$81.0

24.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.43 CA$67.0

$38.10 CA$53.9

24.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 CA$148

$91.9 CA$130

14.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 CA$202

$110 CA$155

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 CA$1,036

$1,237 CA$1,748

-40.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 CA$1,002

$977 CA$1,381

-27.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 CA$2,180

$2,180 CA$3,082

-29.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 CA$1,971

$1,608 CA$2,273

-13.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,291 CA$1,824

$5,113 CA$7,228

-74.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,094 CA$4,374

$2,957 CA$4,180

4.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

4.48

36.16%

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

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 37.8% $268

Groceries & Markets

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 22% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 46.6% $134

Eating Out

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 8.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 19% $31

Getting Around

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 190% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 55.3% $19

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 $733 in Fort St John, BC and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort St John, BC pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42.00 in Fort St John, BC vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $450 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

06:53 6:53 AM

3 h ahead of Fort St John, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,609

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Fort St John, BC Montreal 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Fort St John, BC
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

Fort St John, BC vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Fort St John, BC, 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: $733 in Fort St John, BC versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort St John, BC – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,949 per month in Fort St John, BC versus $2,059 in Montreal – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Fort St John, BC 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, Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.