Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,350 in Geneva, IL, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Geneva, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

117

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Geneva, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,350

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,350 per month in Geneva, IL vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Geneva, IL $2,350
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $3,481 per month in Geneva, IL vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Geneva, IL $3,481
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $4,612 per month in Geneva, IL vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Geneva, IL $4,612
Montreal $4,187

Geneva, IL costs about 14% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Geneva, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Geneva, IL by 73%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.21 $14.21

$18.84 CA$26.63

-24.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 $68.2

$73.2 CA$104

-6.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$10.54 CA$14.90

15.09%

Cappuccino

$5.38 $5.38

$3.97 CA$5.61

35.52%

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

$3.02 $3.02

$1.94 CA$2.74

55.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.57 CA$2.22

45.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.15 $6.15

$6.42 CA$9.08

-4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.01 $8.01

$7.20 CA$10.19

11.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$2.32 CA$3.28

-66.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.19 CA$4.51

-14.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.19 CA$4.50

-8.46%

Eggs

$3.44 $3.44

$3.68 CA$5.20

-6.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.63 $7.63

$13.24 CA$18.72

-42.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 $11.55

$11.69 CA$16.53

-1.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 $10.52

$13.98 CA$19.76

-24.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.14 CA$4.44

49.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.45 CA$2.05

13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.38 CA$4.78

6.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.11 CA$4.40

55.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.93 CA$2.72

-7.77%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.83 CA$2.58

61.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.36 CA$3.34

-32.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.50 CA$2.12

62.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$11.12 CA$15.73

-3.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 $8.08

$10.60 CA$14.98

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.22 CA$3.14

-19.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 $4.47

$2.84 CA$4.01

57.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 $2.20

$2.62 CA$3.71

-16.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.23 CA$4.56

26.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.48 CA$2.10

35.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.12 $44.12

$32.22 CA$45.55

36.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.36 CA$1.92

-19.85%

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

$24.8K $24.8K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-10.22%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

22.27%

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

$176 $176

$77.0 CA$109

128.02%

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

$52.6 $52.6

$34.14 CA$48.26

54.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.1 $67.1

$42.19 CA$59.7

59.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.52 $35.52

$30.81 CA$43.56

15.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.86 $11.86

$11.47 CA$16.22

3.40%

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

$1,528 $1,528

$506 CA$716

201.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.9K $23.9K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

47.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 $55.6

$57.3 CA$81.0

-2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 $50.8

$38.10 CA$53.9

33.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.3 $88.3

$91.9 CA$130

-3.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$110 CA$155

11.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 $1,820

$1,237 CA$1,748

47.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,221 $1,221

$977 CA$1,381

24.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,229 $2,229

$2,180 CA$3,082

2.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 $2,128

$1,608 CA$2,273

32.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,121 $3,121

$5,113 CA$7,228

-38.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,190 $2,190

$3,744 CA$5,293

-41.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.48

43.53%

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

Last update for Geneva, 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

Geneva, IL

$1.2K 52%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 20% $244

Groceries & Markets

Geneva, IL

$326 13.9%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 7.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva, IL

$295 12.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 48.1% $142

Eating Out

Geneva, IL

$283 12%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 2.7% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva, IL

$143 6.1%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 6.3% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva, IL

$59 2.5%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 9.2% $5.5

Getting Around

Geneva, IL

$23 * 1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 337% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,820 in Geneva, IL versus $1,237 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Geneva, IL versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $351 – making Geneva, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Geneva, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

1 h ahead of Geneva, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,812

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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 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

Geneva, IL Montreal 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Geneva, 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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,350 in Geneva, IL, $2,059 in Montreal – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,524 per month in Geneva, IL and $3,089 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,350 in Geneva, IL and $2,059 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $1,528 per month in Geneva, IL and $506 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Geneva, IL at $2,350. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geneva, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,059 in Montreal to $2,350 in Geneva, 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, Geneva, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.