Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guelph and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,693 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,693

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,693 in Guelph versus $2,064 in Montreal.

Guelph $2,693
Montreal $2,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,753 in Guelph versus $3,156 in Montreal.

Guelph $3,753
Montreal $3,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,814 in Guelph versus $4,247 in Montreal.

Guelph $4,814
Montreal $4,247

Living in Guelph is roughly 30% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Guelph 98% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.26 CA$29.83

$18.98 CA$26.64

12.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.7 CA$99.2

$73.0 CA$102

-3.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.61 CA$16.29

$10.88 CA$15.27

6.71%

Cappuccino

$3.49 CA$4.90

$3.81 CA$5.35

-8.40%

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

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.94 CA$2.72

-25.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 CA$1.83

$1.58 CA$2.22

-17.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 CA$7.16

$6.37 CA$8.94

-19.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 CA$8.21

$7.26 CA$10.20

-19.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$2.23 CA$3.13

-3.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.90

$3.17 CA$4.45

-12.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.31

$3.31 CA$4.64

14.20%

Eggs

$3.06 CA$4.29

$3.63 CA$5.09

-15.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.09

$13.16 CA$18.47

-23.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.01 CA$22.46

$11.56 CA$16.22

38.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 CA$31.00

$13.71 CA$19.25

61.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CA$4.97

$3.29 CA$4.62

7.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.85

$1.46 CA$2.05

-9.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.34 CA$6.10

$3.37 CA$4.73

28.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 CA$6.65

$3.15 CA$4.42

50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.48 CA$4.89

$1.89 CA$2.65

84.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 CA$3.29

$1.79 CA$2.52

30.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.02 CA$4.23

$2.47 CA$3.47

22.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.08

$1.58 CA$2.22

-6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.86 CA$15.24

$11.28 CA$15.84

-3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 CA$15.36

$10.49 CA$14.73

4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.50 CA$4.92

$2.34 CA$3.28

49.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CA$4.36

$2.91 CA$4.09

6.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 CA$3.21

$2.61 CA$3.66

-12.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.9 CA$92.5

$79.1 CA$111

-16.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$3.26 CA$4.57

-28.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 CA$2.57

$1.44 CA$2.02

27.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.94 CA$33.60

$33.43 CA$46.92

-28.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.65

$1.33 CA$1.87

-12.03%

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

$28.4K CA$39.8K

$28.6K CA$40.2K

-0.90%

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

$22.9K CA$32.1K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

8.33%

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

$122 CA$171

$80.1 CA$112

52.40%

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

$42.99 CA$60.3

$34.30 CA$48.14

25.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 CA$79.0

$42.85 CA$60.1

31.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 CA$66.7

$31.14 CA$43.71

52.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.55 CA$20.43

$19.41 CA$27.24

-25.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.55 CA$14.81

$11.23 CA$15.76

-6.06%

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

$832 CA$1,167

$525 CA$737

58.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K CA$24.1K

$16.3K CA$22.9K

5.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 CA$88.3

$58.0 CA$81.4

8.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 CA$51.2

$38.11 CA$53.5

-4.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 CA$119

$93.4 CA$131

-9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 CA$174

$110 CA$155

12.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 CA$2,126

$1,285 CA$1,803

17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,472 CA$2,066

$977 CA$1,371

50.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 CA$3,038

$2,271 CA$3,187

-4.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,008 CA$2,818

$1,665 CA$2,336

20.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,967 CA$6,971

$5,139 CA$7,212

-3.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,356 CA$6,114

$3,834 CA$5,381

13.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,053 CA$4,285

$3,002 CA$4,213

1.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.48

11.38%

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

Last update for Guelph: October 26, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guelph

$1.5K 54.7%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 33.6% $495

Groceries & Markets

Guelph

$410 15.2%

Montreal

$351 17% 14.4% $59

Eating Out

Guelph

$295 11%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 1.4% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guelph

$221 8.2%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 29% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Guelph

$139 5.2%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 2.9% $4

Getting Around

Guelph

$87 3.2%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 15.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Guelph

$69 2.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 21.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,515 in Guelph and $1,285 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71 in Guelph vs $73 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Guelph

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

Same time as Guelph

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

131,794

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Guelph Montreal 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guelph
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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

Guelph vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,039 in Guelph and $3,096 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: $1,515 in Guelph versus $1,285 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Guelph. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guelph – a meal for two runs $71 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.