Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hempstead, NY and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Hempstead, NY: $1,449 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Hempstead, NY
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Hempstead, NY Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Hempstead, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$1,449

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,449 in Hempstead, NY versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Hempstead, NY $1,449
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,281 in Hempstead, NY versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Hempstead, NY $2,281
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,114 in Hempstead, NY versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Hempstead, NY $3,114
Montreal $4,187

Living in Hempstead, NY costs roughly 30% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hempstead, NY 7% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$18.84 CA$26.63

5.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 $73.9

$73.2 CA$104

0.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.86 $12.86

$10.54 CA$14.90

22.01%

Cappuccino

$5.37 $5.37

$3.97 CA$5.61

35.26%

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

$3.12 $3.12

$1.94 CA$2.74

60.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.57 CA$2.22

39.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$6.42 CA$9.08

-7.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 $7.96

$7.20 CA$10.19

10.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.32 CA$3.28

-47.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 $1.59

$3.19 CA$4.51

-50.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$3.19 CA$4.50

-26.65%

Eggs

$3.54 $3.54

$3.68 CA$5.20

-3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 $9.42

$13.24 CA$18.72

-28.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.32 $12.32

$11.69 CA$16.53

5.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.91 $11.91

$13.98 CA$19.76

-14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.14 CA$4.44

-9.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.45 CA$2.05

6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 $1.76

$3.38 CA$4.78

-47.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 $5.14

$3.11 CA$4.40

65.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.93 CA$2.72

48.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.83 CA$2.58

49.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 $2.41

$2.36 CA$3.34

2.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$1.50 CA$2.12

58.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.74 $11.74

$11.12 CA$15.73

5.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 $14.90

$10.60 CA$14.98

40.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.22 CA$3.14

4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.84 CA$4.01

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.62 CA$3.71

11.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 $128

$79.1 CA$112

62.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.23 CA$4.56

-18.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.48 CA$2.10

-59.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 $23.81

$32.22 CA$45.55

-26.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.36 CA$1.92

-19.12%

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

$32.4K $32.4K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

17.34%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

23.50%

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

$220 $220

$77.0 CA$109

185.98%

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

$63.3 $63.3

$34.14 CA$48.26

85.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.7 $63.7

$42.19 CA$59.7

50.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 $108

$30.81 CA$43.56

250.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 $15.22

$11.47 CA$16.22

32.69%

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

$2,240 $2,240

$506 CA$716

342.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.6K $41.6K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

156.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.47 $48.47

$57.3 CA$81.0

-15.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.29 $46.29

$38.10 CA$53.9

21.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$91.9 CA$130

13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$110 CA$155

27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.48

47.77%

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

Last update for Hempstead, NY: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hempstead, NY

$347 24%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 55.8% $194

Groceries & Markets

Hempstead, NY

$336 23.2%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 4.6% $16

Eating Out

Hempstead, NY

$329 22.7%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 11.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Hempstead, NY

$153 10.5%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 12.5% $19

Getting Around

Hempstead, NY

$146 10.1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 31.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Hempstead, NY

$138 9.6%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 61.2% $85

Accommodation & Living

Hempstead, NY

- * 0%

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $74.0 in Hempstead, NY vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $336 vs $351, with Hempstead, NY cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hempstead, NY

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

Same time as Hempstead, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

793,409

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Hempstead, NY Montreal 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hempstead, NY
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

Hempstead, NY vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hempstead, NY and Montreal differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,449 vs $2,059 including rent). Hempstead, NY is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,173 in Hempstead, NY and $3,089 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Hempstead, NY – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,449 in Hempstead, NY versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hempstead, NY but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Hempstead, NY 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, Hempstead, NY 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 Hempstead, NY gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.