Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hay River, NT and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,228 in Hay River, NT, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hay River, NT outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hay River, NT
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Hay River, NT Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,228

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Hay River, NT $2,228
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $3,228 per month in Hay River, NT vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Hay River, NT $3,228
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $4,227 per month in Hay River, NT vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Hay River, NT $4,227
Montreal $4,187

Hay River, NT costs about 8% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hay River, NT and Montreal sit above the global median – Hay River, NT by 64%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 CA$25.11

$18.84 CA$26.63

-5.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 CA$91.1

$73.2 CA$104

-11.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 CA$14.67

$10.54 CA$14.90

-1.52%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$5.01

$3.97 CA$5.61

-10.83%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$1.94 CA$2.74

4.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.57 CA$2.22

1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 CA$7.46

$6.42 CA$9.08

-17.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 CA$8.01

$7.20 CA$10.19

-21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.32 CA$3.28

-13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 CA$3.53

$3.19 CA$4.51

-21.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 CA$4.63

$3.19 CA$4.50

2.82%

Eggs

$3.44 CA$4.86

$3.68 CA$5.20

-6.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 CA$14.19

$13.24 CA$18.72

-24.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$11.69 CA$16.53

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.79 CA$20.91

$13.98 CA$19.76

5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$3.14 CA$4.44

18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 CA$1.87

$1.45 CA$2.05

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.74 CA$5.29

$3.38 CA$4.78

10.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.11 CA$4.40

21.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.93 CA$2.72

26.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 CA$3.17

$1.83 CA$2.58

22.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$2.36 CA$3.34

2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 CA$2.29

$1.50 CA$2.12

8.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.17 CA$20.03

$11.12 CA$15.73

27.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 CA$18.05

$10.60 CA$14.98

20.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$2.22 CA$3.14

18.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 CA$4.38

$2.84 CA$4.01

9.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 CA$3.20

$2.62 CA$3.71

-13.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.1 CA$87.7

$79.1 CA$112

-21.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$3.23 CA$4.56

-13.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.07

$1.48 CA$2.10

-1.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.83

$32.22 CA$45.55

-30.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.62

$1.36 CA$1.92

-15.44%

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

$28.0K CA$39.6K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

1.26%

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

$19.1K CA$27.1K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

-9.66%

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

$131 CA$186

$77.0 CA$109

70.63%

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

$37.62 CA$53.2

$34.14 CA$48.26

10.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 CA$74.4

$42.19 CA$59.7

24.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.43 CA$57.2

$30.81 CA$43.56

31.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 CA$25.45

$19.66 CA$27.79

-8.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.35

$11.47 CA$16.22

-5.32%

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

$760 CA$1,074

$506 CA$716

50.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-19.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$57.3 CA$81.0

-8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.34 CA$54.2

$38.10 CA$53.9

0.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 CA$119

$91.9 CA$130

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 CA$147

$110 CA$155

-5.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,597

$1,237 CA$1,748

-8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CA$1,584

$977 CA$1,381

14.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,928 CA$2,725

$2,180 CA$3,082

-11.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 CA$2,426

$1,608 CA$2,273

6.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,164 CA$5,887

$5,113 CA$7,228

-18.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,582 CA$5,065

$3,744 CA$5,293

-4.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,273 CA$6,041

$2,957 CA$4,180

44.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

4.48

4.02%

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

Last update for Hay River, NT: 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

Hay River, NT

$1.1K 50.3%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 12.8% $143

Groceries & Markets

Hay River, NT

$349 15.7%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 0.5% $1.6

Eating Out

Hay River, NT

$268 12%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 8.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hay River, NT

$222 10%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 30.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Hay River, NT

$125 5.6%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 6.6% $8.3

Getting Around

Hay River, NT

$81 3.7%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 23.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hay River, NT

$62 2.8%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 13.5% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Hay River, NT 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.

Salaries run about 45% higher in Hay River, NT, 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 $64.0 in Hay River, NT versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $351 – making Hay River, NT the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hay River, NT

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

2 h ahead of Hay River, NT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,600

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

Hay River, NT Montreal 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hay River, NT
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

Hay River, NT vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hay River, NT costs about 8% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,342 per month in Hay River, NT 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 $2,228 in Hay River, NT and $2,059 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Hay River, NT at $2,228. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hay River, NT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,228 in Hay River, NT. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Hay River, NT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.