Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jalalabad and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Jalalabad: $501 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Jalalabad
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Jalalabad Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Jalalabad

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$501

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $501 per month in Jalalabad vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Jalalabad $501
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $684 per month in Jalalabad vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Jalalabad $684
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $868 per month in Jalalabad vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Jalalabad $868
Montreal $4,152

Jalalabad is about 75% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jalalabad sits 63% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ؋146

$18.82 CA$26.61

-87.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.56 ؋490

$70.3 CA$99.4

-89.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ؋246

$10.66 CA$15.06

-64.35%

Cappuccino

$0.75 ؋48.49

$3.84 CA$5.43

-80.47%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 ؋56.9

$2.31 CA$3.27

-61.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ؋23.66

$3.14 CA$4.44

-88.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 ؋122

$3.21 CA$4.54

-41.12%

Eggs

$1.69 ؋110

$3.52 CA$4.97

-51.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ؋359

$12.81 CA$18.11

-56.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ؋175

$11.46 CA$16.20

-76.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.20 ؋402

$13.39 CA$18.92

-53.70%

Apples (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.26

$3.14 CA$4.43

-80.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ؋42.08

$1.44 CA$2.03

-54.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.79 ؋51.1

$3.47 CA$4.91

-77.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ؋30.89

$3.07 CA$4.34

-84.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 ؋25.38

$1.90 CA$2.69

-79.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 ؋19.38

$1.77 CA$2.50

-83.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 ؋21.06

$2.34 CA$3.31

-86.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ؋19.42

$1.55 CA$2.19

-80.65%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.90 ؋253

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ؋71.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.33 ؋151

$11.38 CA$16.09

-79.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.72

$2.66 CA$3.76

-95.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.98 ؋712

$77.3 CA$109

-85.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ؋48.74

$3.20 CA$4.53

-76.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ؋28.35

$1.48 CA$2.09

-70.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ؋101

$32.88 CA$46.48

-95.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ؋71.9

$1.34 CA$1.90

-17.16%

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

$8,453 ؋548.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-69.97%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

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

$23.42 ؋1,518

$76.0 CA$107

-69.17%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$233 ؋15.1K

$42.31 CA$59.8

450.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.62 ؋494

$29.76 CA$42.07

-74.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.76 ؋308

$20.28 CA$28.67

-76.53%

Cinema Ticket

$1.56 ؋101

$11.15 CA$15.77

-86.01%

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

$15.22 ؋987

$507 CA$717

-97.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,222 ؋79.2K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-92.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.51 ؋1,200

$57.6 CA$81.4

-67.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.27 ؋990

$37.58 CA$53.1

-59.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.21 ؋1,505

$91.9 CA$130

-74.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.36 ؋1,968

$110 CA$155

-72.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ؋7,396

$1,260 CA$1,782

-90.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.83 ؋3,036

$948 CA$1,340

-95.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ؋14.9K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-89.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ؋8,000

$1,614 CA$2,281

-92.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$468 ؋30.4K

$4,960 CA$7,011

-90.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$232 ؋15.1K

$3,838 CA$5,425

-93.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$183 ؋11.9K

$2,827 CA$3,997

-93.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.88

4.48

209.82%

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

Last update for Jalalabad: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jalalabad

$256 * 51.2%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 40.6% $104

Groceries & Markets

Jalalabad

$95 18.9%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 266% $252

Accommodation & Living

Jalalabad

$47 9.4%

Montreal

$948 47% 1923% $901

Clothing & Footwear

Jalalabad

$39 7.9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 240% $94

Eating Out

Jalalabad

$38 * 7.7%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 649% $249

Getting Around

Jalalabad

$14 2.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 582% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Jalalabad

$11 2.2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 385% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Jalalabad versus $1,260 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 1445% higher in Montreal, 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 $8.00 in Jalalabad versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $95.0 vs $346 – making Jalalabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Jalalabad

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

8 h 30 min behind Jalalabad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,600

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 64.83 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.88 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jalalabad Montreal 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Jalalabad
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

Jalalabad vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $501 in Jalalabad, $2,018 in Montreal – roughly 303% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $751 per month in Jalalabad and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jalalabad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 266% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Jalalabad and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jalalabad, where all-in costs run around $501, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Jalalabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $501 in Jalalabad to $2,018 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Jalalabad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.