Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joliette and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Joliette: $1,717 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Joliette
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Joliette Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Joliette

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,717

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,717 per month in Joliette vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

Joliette $1,717
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $2,639 per month in Joliette vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

Joliette $2,639
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $3,562 per month in Joliette vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

Joliette $3,562
Montreal $4,247

Joliette is about 17% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Joliette and Montreal sit above the global median – Joliette by 26%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.02 CA$25.32

$18.98 CA$26.67

-5.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 CA$74.3

$73.0 CA$103

-27.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 CA$15.05

$10.88 CA$15.29

-1.56%

Cappuccino

$2.53 CA$3.56

$3.81 CA$5.36

-33.60%

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

$2.06 CA$2.90

$1.94 CA$2.73

6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.44

$1.58 CA$2.22

10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.22 CA$5.94

$6.37 CA$8.95

-33.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.44 CA$9.05

$7.26 CA$10.21

-11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 CA$3.36

$2.23 CA$3.13

7.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.55 CA$3.58

$3.17 CA$4.46

-19.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$3.31 CA$4.65

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.54 CA$3.56

$3.63 CA$5.10

-30.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.79 CA$16.56

$13.16 CA$18.49

-10.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.71

$11.56 CA$16.24

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.70 CA$26.27

$13.71 CA$19.27

36.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.10

$3.29 CA$4.62

10.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.46 CA$2.05

-8.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.45

$3.37 CA$4.73

15.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 CA$4.81

$3.15 CA$4.42

8.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 CA$3.65

$1.89 CA$2.65

37.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 CA$3.37

$1.79 CA$2.52

34.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 CA$2.26

$2.47 CA$3.47

-34.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.08

$1.58 CA$2.22

-6.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.09 CA$19.80

$11.28 CA$15.85

24.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 CA$17.51

$10.49 CA$14.74

18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 CA$3.56

$2.34 CA$3.28

8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 CA$4.37

$2.91 CA$4.09

6.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$2.61 CA$3.67

-15.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.0 CA$81.5

$79.1 CA$111

-26.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.72 CA$3.82

$3.26 CA$4.58

-16.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.44 CA$2.02

1.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.01 CA$26.71

$33.43 CA$46.97

-43.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 CA$1.37

$1.33 CA$1.87

-27.07%

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

$27.4K CA$38.6K

$28.6K CA$40.2K

-4.15%

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

$22.5K CA$31.7K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

6.87%

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

$141 CA$198

$80.1 CA$112

76.02%

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

$36.90 CA$51.9

$34.30 CA$48.19

7.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 CA$71.2

$42.85 CA$60.2

18.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.60 CA$59.9

$31.14 CA$43.76

36.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 CA$26.97

$19.41 CA$27.27

-1.13%

Cinema Ticket

$13.01 CA$18.27

$11.23 CA$15.78

15.85%

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

$809 CA$1,137

$525 CA$738

54.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.5K

$16.3K CA$22.9K

-1.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 CA$71.0

$58.0 CA$81.5

-12.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.12 CA$52.2

$38.11 CA$53.5

-2.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 CA$122

$93.4 CA$131

-6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 CA$141

$110 CA$155

-8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 CA$916

$1,285 CA$1,806

-49.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 CA$845

$977 CA$1,372

-38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 CA$1,829

$2,271 CA$3,190

-42.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 CA$1,527

$1,665 CA$2,339

-34.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,928 CA$5,518

$5,139 CA$7,221

-23.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,688 CA$5,181

$3,834 CA$5,387

-3.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,709 CA$3,806

$3,002 CA$4,218

-9.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.16

4.48

-7.14%

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

Last update for Joliette: October 26, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joliette

$602 35%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 62.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Joliette

$362 21.1%

Montreal

$351 17% 3% $11

Eating Out

Joliette

$256 14.9%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 13.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joliette

$229 13.3%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 31.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Joliette

$124 7.2%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 9% $11

Getting Around

Joliette

$77 4.5%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 30.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Joliette

$69 4%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 21.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $652 in Joliette versus $1,285 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 11% 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 $53 in Joliette versus $73 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $362 in Joliette vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Joliette

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:59 1:59 PM

Same time as Joliette

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,484

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.639 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Joliette Montreal 59 km

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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

Joliette vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,576 per month in Joliette and $3,096 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Joliette, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $652 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

Kindergarten costs $809 per month in Joliette and $525 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,717 in Joliette and $2,064 in Montreal, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,717 in Joliette to $2,064 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 Joliette. 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.