Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Charles, LA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lake Charles, LA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,234

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,234 per month in Lake Charles, LA vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Lake Charles, LA $2,234
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $3,205 per month in Lake Charles, LA vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Lake Charles, LA $3,205
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $4,176 per month in Lake Charles, LA vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Lake Charles, LA $4,176
Montreal $4,092

Lake Charles, LA costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lake Charles, LA and Montreal sit above the global median – Lake Charles, LA by 67%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.06 $26.06

$19.31 CA$27.52

34.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 $69.6

$75.5 CA$108

-7.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 $11.03

$10.63 CA$15.15

3.76%

Cappuccino

$5.33 $5.33

$3.93 CA$5.60

35.62%

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

$2.01 $2.01

$1.92 CA$2.73

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.48 CA$2.11

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$6.30 CA$8.98

-18.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 $5.85

$7.19 CA$10.24

-18.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$2.22 CA$3.17

-37.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.06 CA$4.36

37.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.24 $6.24

$2.94 CA$4.19

112.24%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$3.53 CA$5.03

48.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.86 $15.86

$13.19 CA$18.79

20.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 $10.33

$11.24 CA$16.02

-8.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 $15.79

$13.81 CA$19.69

14.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.29 $4.29

$3.40 CA$4.85

26.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.44 CA$2.06

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.26 CA$4.65

-38.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.88 CA$4.10

96.18%

Potato (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.86 CA$2.65

135.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.82 CA$2.60

20.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 $2.25

$2.43 CA$3.46

-7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.52 CA$2.17

70.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.71 $8.71

$11.45 CA$16.32

-23.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.13 $17.13

$10.36 CA$14.76

65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.22 CA$3.16

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.82 CA$4.02

40.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.25 CA$4.64

9.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.48 CA$2.11

2.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.87 $34.87

$33.04 CA$47.09

5.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.36 CA$1.94

-36.76%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

28.59%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

26.63%

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

$260 $260

$76.1 CA$109

241.26%

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

$69.2 $69.2

$34.68 CA$49.43

99.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 $57.8

$42.69 CA$60.9

35.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.62 $31.62

$28.94 CA$41.26

9.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.96 $13.96

$20.33 CA$28.97

-31.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 $11.81

$11.21 CA$15.98

5.35%

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

$1,590 $1,590

$505 CA$720

214.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-35.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.66 $24.66

$58.5 CA$83.4

-57.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.34 $43.34

$38.00 CA$54.2

14.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 $60.3

$92.7 CA$132

-34.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 $119

$106 CA$151

12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 $1,009

$1,240 CA$1,768

-18.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 $918

$986 CA$1,405

-6.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,512 $1,512

$2,102 CA$2,996

-28.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 $1,252

$1,615 CA$2,302

-22.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,358 $1,358

$5,043 CA$7,188

-73.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,397 $1,397

$3,830 CA$5,459

-63.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,920 CA$4,163

25.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

4.46

49.33%

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

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lake Charles, LA

$918 40.5%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 7.4% $68

Groceries & Markets

Lake Charles, LA

$427 18.8%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 19.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lake Charles, LA

$387 17.1%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 60.3% $233

Eating Out

Lake Charles, LA

$356 15.7%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 17.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Lake Charles, LA

$111 4.9%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 19.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Lake Charles, LA

$55 2.4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 7% $3.9

Getting Around

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 782% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA versus $1,240 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 26% higher in Lake Charles, LA, 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 $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA versus $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $427 in Lake Charles, LA vs $344 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

05:44 5:44 AM

1 h ahead of Lake Charles, LA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,872

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 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

Lake Charles, LA Montreal 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lake Charles, LA
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

Lake Charles, LA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Charles, LA costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,351 per month in Lake Charles, LA and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA and $2,003 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $1,590 per month in Lake Charles, LA and $505 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,003, than in Lake Charles, LA at $2,234. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Charles, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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