Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lexington, KY and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,266 in Lexington, KY, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Lexington, KY
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Lexington, KY Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Lexington, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,266

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,266 in Lexington, KY versus $2,064 in Montreal.

Lexington, KY $2,266
Montreal $2,064

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,326 in Lexington, KY versus $3,156 in Montreal.

Lexington, KY $3,326
Montreal $3,156

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,386 in Lexington, KY versus $4,247 in Montreal.

Lexington, KY $4,386
Montreal $4,247

Living in Lexington, KY is roughly 10% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lexington, KY 66% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.76 $12.76

$18.98 CA$26.53

-32.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.3 $57.3

$73.0 CA$102

-21.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 $8.94

$10.88 CA$15.21

-17.83%

Cappuccino

$4.92 $4.92

$3.81 CA$5.33

29.13%

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

$2.52 $2.52

$1.94 CA$2.71

29.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.58 CA$2.21

33.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 $5.14

$6.37 CA$8.90

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 $6.17

$7.26 CA$10.15

-15.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 $0.73

$2.23 CA$3.11

-67.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 $2.86

$3.17 CA$4.44

-9.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.31 CA$4.62

17.52%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$3.63 CA$5.07

-3.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 $10.17

$13.16 CA$18.39

-22.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 $10.35

$11.56 CA$16.16

-10.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$13.71 CA$19.17

3.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$3.29 CA$4.60

66.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.46 CA$2.04

5.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.54 $5.54

$3.37 CA$4.71

64.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.15 CA$4.40

41.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$1.89 CA$2.64

115.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 $3.20

$1.79 CA$2.51

78.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.47 CA$3.45

-14.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.19 $3.19

$1.58 CA$2.21

101.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 $8.81

$11.28 CA$15.77

-21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.18 $13.18

$10.49 CA$14.67

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.34 CA$3.26

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.91 CA$4.07

42.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.61 CA$3.65

-60.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 $29.42

$79.1 CA$111

-62.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 $5.10

$3.26 CA$4.56

56.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.73

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.33 CA$1.86

-30.08%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

-4.71%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

24.68%

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

$192 $192

$80.1 CA$112

140.12%

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

$108 $108

$34.30 CA$47.94

213.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.1 $75.1

$42.85 CA$59.9

75.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 $27.36

$31.14 CA$43.53

-12.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.72 $29.72

$19.41 CA$27.12

53.12%

Cinema Ticket

$14.94 $14.94

$11.23 CA$15.69

33.04%

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

$2,240 $2,240

$525 CA$734

326.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K $25.2K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

54.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.6 $50.6

$58.0 CA$81.1

-12.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 $31.75

$38.11 CA$53.3

-16.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$93.4 CA$131

23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 $153

$110 CA$154

38.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 $1,710

$1,285 CA$1,796

33.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$977 CA$1,365

3.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 $2,665

$2,271 CA$3,174

17.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,684 $1,684

$1,665 CA$2,327

1.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,294 $2,294

$5,139 CA$7,183

-55.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,961 $1,961

$3,834 CA$5,359

-48.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,152 $4,152

$3,002 CA$4,196

38.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.48

52.23%

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

Last update for Lexington, KY: October 24, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lexington, KY

$1K 44.5%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 3.1% $31

Groceries & Markets

Lexington, KY

$385 17%

Montreal

$351 17% 8.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lexington, KY

$375 16.6%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 58.1% $218

Eating Out

Lexington, KY

$245 10.8%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 18.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Lexington, KY

$158 7%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 14.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Lexington, KY

$57 2.5%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 6.4% $3.6

Getting Around

Lexington, KY

$39 * 1.7%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 159% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,710 in Lexington, KY and $1,285 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lexington, KY pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Lexington, KY vs $73 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Lexington, KY

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

Same time as Lexington, KY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,570

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lexington, KY Montreal 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lexington, KY
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

Lexington, KY vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Lexington, KY. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Lexington, KY, 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: $1,710 in Lexington, KY versus $1,285 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lexington, KY – a meal for two runs $57 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,266 per month in Lexington, KY versus $2,064 in Montreal – Montreal is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Lexington, KY and Montreal are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Montreal wins on affordability, Lexington, KY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.