Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,300 in London, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,300

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,300 in London versus $2,018 in Montreal.

London $2,300
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,321 in London versus $3,085 in Montreal.

London $3,321
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in London versus $4,152 in Montreal.

London $4,341
Montreal $4,152

Living in London is roughly 14% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: London 70% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 CA$29.42

$18.82 CA$26.61

10.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 CA$87.7

$70.3 CA$99.4

-11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 CA$17.47

$10.66 CA$15.06

15.85%

Cappuccino

$3.82 CA$5.41

$3.84 CA$5.43

-0.52%

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

$2.10 CA$2.98

$1.92 CA$2.71

9.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 CA$3.04

$1.54 CA$2.18

39.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.39 CA$9.03

$6.23 CA$8.81

2.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.21 CA$8.77

$7.10 CA$10.03

-12.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 CA$2.63

$2.31 CA$3.27

-19.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$3.14 CA$4.44

-18.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 CA$5.65

$3.21 CA$4.54

24.61%

Eggs

$3.67 CA$5.19

$3.52 CA$4.97

4.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 CA$14.25

$12.81 CA$18.11

-21.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 CA$16.19

$11.46 CA$16.20

-0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.74 CA$20.84

$13.39 CA$18.92

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 CA$6.09

$3.14 CA$4.43

37.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.44 CA$2.03

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$3.47 CA$4.91

8.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.74

$3.07 CA$4.34

32.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.16 CA$4.46

$1.90 CA$2.69

66.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.33

$1.77 CA$2.50

72.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.52

$2.34 CA$3.31

6.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.55 CA$2.19

-5.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.08 CA$17.08

$11.38 CA$16.09

6.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.41 CA$17.55

$10.63 CA$15.03

16.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.27 CA$3.21

8.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.82 CA$3.99

-1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 CA$3.30

$2.66 CA$3.76

-12.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.0 CA$112

$77.3 CA$109

2.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 CA$3.42

$3.20 CA$4.53

-24.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 CA$2.36

$1.48 CA$2.09

12.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.36 CA$31.61

$32.88 CA$46.48

-32.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.34 CA$1.90

-11.19%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-2.67%

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

$22.9K CA$32.4K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

16.85%

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

$138 CA$195

$76.0 CA$107

81.73%

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

$39.00 CA$55.1

$33.95 CA$48.00

14.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$42.31 CA$59.8

31.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.53 CA$53.1

$29.76 CA$42.07

26.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 CA$40.87

$20.28 CA$28.67

42.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 CA$14.70

$11.15 CA$15.77

-6.73%

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

$410 CA$580

$507 CA$717

-19.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K CA$28.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

27.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$57.6 CA$81.4

-8.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.41 CA$54.3

$37.58 CA$53.1

2.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 CA$116

$91.9 CA$130

-10.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.7 CA$125

$110 CA$155

-19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 CA$1,754

$1,260 CA$1,782

-1.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 CA$1,590

$948 CA$1,340

18.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$2,137 CA$3,021

-4.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 CA$2,404

$1,614 CA$2,281

5.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,473 CA$4,910

$4,960 CA$7,011

-29.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 CA$5,020

$3,838 CA$5,425

-7.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,866 CA$4,051

$2,827 CA$3,997

1.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

4.48

5.36%

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

Last update for London: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.1K 48.9%

Montreal

$948 47% 15.8% $177

Groceries & Markets

London

$357 15.5%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 2.8% $10

Eating Out

London

$311 13.5%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 7.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$233 10.1%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 34.6% $81

Clothing & Footwear

London

$118 5.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 13.2% $16

Getting Around

London

$99 4.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 0.6% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

London

$58 2.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 10.7% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,241 in London and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 1% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $62.0 in London vs $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $346, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

Same time as London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

London Montreal 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

London vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1% higher in London, 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: $1,241 in London versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,300 per month in London versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 2% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,300 in London, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Montreal is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, London 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 Montreal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.