Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hearst and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,210 in Hearst, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hearst outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

108

Cost of Living Index in Hearst
Learn more

Hearst Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Hearst

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,210

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Hearst versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Hearst $2,210
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,203 in Hearst versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Hearst $3,203
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,197 in Hearst versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Hearst $4,197
Montreal $4,187

Living in Hearst is roughly 7% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hearst 63% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 CA$24.53

$18.84 CA$26.63

-7.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 CA$93.4

$73.2 CA$104

-9.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 CA$15.09

$10.54 CA$14.90

1.23%

Cappuccino

$3.60 CA$5.09

$3.97 CA$5.61

-9.32%

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

$2.01 CA$2.83

$1.94 CA$2.74

3.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.20

$1.57 CA$2.22

-1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.18 CA$7.32

$6.42 CA$9.08

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 CA$7.88

$7.20 CA$10.19

-22.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$2.32 CA$3.28

-9.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.60

$3.19 CA$4.51

-20.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.65

$3.19 CA$4.50

3.13%

Eggs

$3.34 CA$4.73

$3.68 CA$5.20

-9.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$13.24 CA$18.72

-26.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.53 CA$16.30

$11.69 CA$16.53

-1.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.25 CA$20.15

$13.98 CA$19.76

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.35

$3.14 CA$4.44

20.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.45 CA$2.05

-13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.38 CA$4.78

7.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 CA$5.18

$3.11 CA$4.40

18.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$1.93 CA$2.72

29.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$1.83 CA$2.58

18.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.51

$2.36 CA$3.34

5.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.50 CA$2.12

4.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.89 CA$19.63

$11.12 CA$15.73

24.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.84 CA$18.15

$10.60 CA$14.98

21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.70

$2.22 CA$3.14

17.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.84 CA$4.01

8.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 CA$3.17

$2.62 CA$3.71

-14.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$79.1 CA$112

-21.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 CA$3.95

$3.23 CA$4.56

-13.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 CA$1.98

$1.48 CA$2.10

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.95 CA$32.44

$32.22 CA$45.55

-28.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.61

$1.36 CA$1.92

-16.18%

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

$27.9K CA$39.4K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

0.77%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

-10.93%

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

$132 CA$186

$77.0 CA$109

70.86%

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

$38.55 CA$54.5

$34.14 CA$48.26

12.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CA$77.0

$42.19 CA$59.7

29.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.47 CA$57.2

$30.81 CA$43.56

31.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$25.18

$19.66 CA$27.79

-9.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 CA$15.72

$11.47 CA$16.22

-3.05%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$506 CA$716

47.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K CA$18.5K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-19.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 CA$75.9

$57.3 CA$81.0

-6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 CA$54.3

$38.10 CA$53.9

0.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 CA$118

$91.9 CA$130

-9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$145

$110 CA$155

-6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 CA$1,724

$1,237 CA$1,748

-1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 CA$1,560

$977 CA$1,381

13.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,918 CA$2,711

$2,180 CA$3,082

-12.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 CA$2,384

$1,608 CA$2,273

4.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,145 CA$5,860

$5,113 CA$7,228

-18.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,557 CA$5,028

$3,744 CA$5,293

-5.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,120 CA$4,410

$2,957 CA$4,180

5.50%

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 Hearst: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hearst

$1.1K 49.9%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 11.5% $127

Groceries & Markets

Hearst

$347 15.7%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 1.1% $3.9

Eating Out

Hearst

$265 12%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 9.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hearst

$225 10.2%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 31.7% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Hearst

$125 5.7%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 6.8% $8.5

Getting Around

Hearst

$81 3.7%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 23.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hearst

$63 2.8%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 14.3% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,220 in Hearst and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hearst pays 5% 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: $66.0 in Hearst vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $351 per month, with Hearst cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hearst

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

Same time as Hearst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hearst Montreal 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hearst
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

Hearst vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hearst and Montreal differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,210 vs $2,059 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Hearst, 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: $1,220 in Hearst versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $748 in Hearst versus $506 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Hearst pay roughly 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,210 in Hearst, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Hearst. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Hearst 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 7% less than in Hearst. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.