Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Halifax and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,348 in Halifax, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Halifax
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Halifax Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Halifax

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,348 in Halifax versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Halifax $2,348
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,092 in Halifax versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Halifax $3,092
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,835 in Halifax versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Halifax $3,835
Montreal $4,187

Living in Halifax is roughly 14% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Halifax 73% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.91 £20.19

$18.84 CA$26.63

42.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 £60.0

$73.2 CA$104

9.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.86

$10.54 CA$14.90

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$4.98 £3.74

$3.97 CA$5.61

25.44%

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

$2.79 £2.09

$1.94 CA$2.74

43.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.57 CA$2.22

10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 £4.93

$6.42 CA$9.08

2.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 £5.08

$7.20 CA$10.19

-5.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.32 CA$3.28

-28.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 £1.16

$3.19 CA$4.51

-51.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 £1.93

$3.19 CA$4.50

-19.12%

Eggs

$3.79 £2.84

$3.68 CA$5.20

2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.85 £8.14

$13.24 CA$18.72

-18.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 £6.74

$11.69 CA$16.53

-23.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 £8.26

$13.98 CA$19.76

-21.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$3.14 CA$4.44

-4.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.45 CA$2.05

27.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 £1.89

$3.38 CA$4.78

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 £3.60

$3.11 CA$4.40

54.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.93 CA$2.72

-15.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.83 CA$2.58

-6.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 £0.99

$2.36 CA$3.34

-44.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.16

$1.50 CA$2.12

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.05 £15.79

$11.12 CA$15.73

89.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 £7.94

$10.60 CA$14.98

-0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 £2.07

$2.22 CA$3.14

24.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 £2.32

$2.84 CA$4.01

8.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 £2.04

$2.62 CA$3.71

3.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 £86.5

$79.1 CA$112

45.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.90 £2.93

$3.23 CA$4.56

20.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.60 £1.95

$1.48 CA$2.10

75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.30 £13.73

$32.22 CA$45.55

-43.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.36 CA$1.92

48.53%

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

$39.1K £29.3K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

41.37%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

89.14%

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

$242 £182

$77.0 CA$109

214.43%

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

$16.85 £12.64

$34.14 CA$48.26

-50.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.78 £30.59

$42.19 CA$59.7

-3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.48 £21.36

$30.81 CA$43.56

-7.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.52 £4.89

$19.66 CA$27.79

-66.84%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 £10.00

$11.47 CA$16.22

16.22%

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

$1,599 £1,200

$506 CA$716

215.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K £12.0K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-1.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 £60.7

$57.3 CA$81.0

41.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 £35.38

$38.10 CA$53.9

23.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 £60.3

$91.9 CA$130

-12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 £65.1

$110 CA$155

-20.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 £938

$1,237 CA$1,748

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 £783

$977 CA$1,381

6.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 £618

$2,180 CA$3,082

-62.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$962 £722

$1,608 CA$2,273

-40.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,071 £3,804

$5,113 CA$7,228

-0.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,831 £2,874

$3,744 CA$5,293

2.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,961 £2,222

$2,957 CA$4,180

0.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.61

4.48

25.22%

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

Last update for Halifax: 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

Halifax

$1K 44.5%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 6.5% $68

Eating Out

Halifax

$371 15.8%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 21.7% $80

Groceries & Markets

Halifax

$302 12.9%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 16.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Halifax

$300 12.8%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 48.9% $146

Getting Around

Halifax

$143 6.1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 29.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Halifax

$133 5.7%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Halifax

$55 2.4%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 2.5% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,250 in Halifax and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Halifax pays 0% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Halifax vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $351, with Halifax cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Halifax

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

19:58 7:58 PM

5 h behind Halifax

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,624

1,762,949

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Halifax Montreal 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Halifax
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

Halifax vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Halifax. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Halifax, 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: $1,250 in Halifax versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 46% less than in Halifax. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,599 in Halifax versus $506 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,348 in Halifax, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Halifax. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Halifax 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 Montreal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Halifax. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.