Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Helena, MT and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $3,107 in Helena, MT, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Helena, MT
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Helena, MT Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Helena, MT

🇺🇸 United States

$3,107

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,107 in Helena, MT versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Helena, MT $3,107
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,494 in Helena, MT versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Helena, MT $4,494
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,882 in Helena, MT versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Helena, MT $5,882
Montreal $4,092

Living in Helena, MT is roughly 55% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Helena, MT 132% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.52 $21.52

$19.31 CA$27.52

11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$75.5 CA$108

34.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.96 $17.96

$10.63 CA$15.15

68.96%

Cappuccino

$4.99 $4.99

$3.93 CA$5.60

26.97%

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

$2.21 $2.21

$1.92 CA$2.73

15.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.48 CA$2.11

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 $4.92

$6.30 CA$8.98

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 $6.83

$7.19 CA$10.24

-5.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.22 CA$3.17

-51.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.06 CA$4.36

21.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$2.94 CA$4.19

51.36%

Eggs

$3.76 $3.76

$3.53 CA$5.03

6.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.68 $17.68

$13.19 CA$18.79

34.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$11.24 CA$16.02

-21.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 $20.13

$13.81 CA$19.69

45.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.40 CA$4.85

34.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 $1.82

$1.44 CA$2.06

26.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$3.26 CA$4.65

41.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$2.88 CA$4.10

38.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.86 CA$2.65

15.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.82 CA$2.60

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.43 CA$3.46

-32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.52 CA$2.17

2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 $10.39

$11.45 CA$16.32

-9.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 $12.78

$10.36 CA$14.76

23.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.22 CA$3.16

-23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 $2.49

$2.82 CA$4.02

-11.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.58 $3.58

$2.58 CA$3.67

38.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.2 $59.2

$76.9 CA$110

-23.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.03 $10.03

$3.25 CA$4.64

208.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.48 CA$2.11

125.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.80 $44.80

$33.04 CA$47.09

35.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.36 CA$1.94

-27.21%

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

$36.1K $36.1K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

31.48%

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

$31.1K $31.1K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

55.65%

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

$369 $369

$76.1 CA$109

385.00%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$34.68 CA$49.43

96.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.0 $93.0

$42.69 CA$60.9

117.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 $52.0

$28.94 CA$41.26

79.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.90 $14.90

$20.33 CA$28.97

-26.71%

Cinema Ticket

$12.19 $12.19

$11.21 CA$15.98

8.74%

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

$1,962 $1,962

$505 CA$720

288.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K $27.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

72.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 $65.4

$58.5 CA$83.4

11.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 $120

$38.00 CA$54.2

216.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 $81.0

$92.7 CA$132

-12.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$106 CA$151

14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,756 $1,756

$1,240 CA$1,768

41.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,547 $1,547

$986 CA$1,405

56.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,940 $2,940

$2,102 CA$2,996

39.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,450 $2,450

$1,615 CA$2,302

51.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,548 $3,548

$5,043 CA$7,188

-29.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,944 $2,944

$3,830 CA$5,459

-23.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,710 $6,710

$2,920 CA$4,163

129.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

4.46

47.09%

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

Last update for Helena, MT: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Helena, MT

$1.5K 49.1%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 36.3% $561

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Helena, MT

$530 16.8%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 71.1% $377

Groceries & Markets

Helena, MT

$384 12.2%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 10.5% $40

Eating Out

Helena, MT

$340 10.8%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 13.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Helena, MT

$175 5.5%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 23.9% $42

Getting Around

Helena, MT

$100 3.2%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 2.3% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Helena, MT

$76 2.4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 32.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,756 in Helena, MT and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Helena, MT pays 130% 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: $101 in Helena, MT vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $344 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Helena, MT

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

06:36 6:36 AM

2 h ahead of Helena, MT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,091

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Helena, MT Montreal 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Helena, MT
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

Helena, MT vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Helena, MT and Montreal differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($3,107 vs $2,003 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 130% higher in Helena, MT, 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: $1,756 in Helena, MT versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,962 in Helena, MT versus $505 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Helena, MT. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,003 in Montreal versus $3,107 in Helena, MT, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Helena, MT. 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, Helena, MT 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 55% less than in Helena, MT. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.