Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Long Beach, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Long Beach, CA
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Long Beach, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Long Beach, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,185

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,185 in Long Beach, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Long Beach, CA $3,185
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,857 in Long Beach, CA versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Long Beach, CA $4,857
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,529 in Long Beach, CA versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Long Beach, CA $6,529
Montreal $4,187

Living in Long Beach, CA is roughly 55% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Long Beach, CA 135% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.67 $19.67

$18.84 CA$26.63

4.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.7 $78.7

$73.2 CA$104

7.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.48 $14.48

$10.54 CA$14.90

37.38%

Cappuccino

$6.17 $6.17

$3.97 CA$5.61

55.42%

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

$3.27 $3.27

$1.94 CA$2.74

68.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.57 CA$2.22

57.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 $7.46

$6.42 CA$9.08

16.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 $9.70

$7.20 CA$10.19

34.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$2.32 CA$3.28

-54.74%

White Bread (500g)

$4.13 $4.13

$3.19 CA$4.51

29.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.19 CA$4.50

45.77%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$3.68 CA$5.20

25.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.11 $13.11

$13.24 CA$18.72

-0.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.28 $14.28

$11.69 CA$16.53

22.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.21 $15.21

$13.98 CA$19.76

8.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$3.14 CA$4.44

50.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$1.45 CA$2.05

15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.38 CA$4.78

42.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.11 CA$4.40

55.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.93 CA$2.72

79.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.83 CA$2.58

22.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.36 CA$3.34

-13.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.50 CA$2.12

22.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$11.12 CA$15.73

3.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.06 $15.06

$10.60 CA$14.98

42.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.22 CA$3.14

-13.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.84 CA$4.01

15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.62 CA$3.71

-32.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.9 $68.9

$79.1 CA$112

-12.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.23 CA$4.56

-9.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.48 CA$2.10

40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.25 $28.25

$32.22 CA$45.55

-12.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.36 CA$1.92

13.24%

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

$28.5K $28.5K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

3.16%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

22.53%

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

$169 $169

$77.0 CA$109

118.96%

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

$66.3 $66.3

$34.14 CA$48.26

94.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 $60.3

$42.19 CA$59.7

42.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 $39.49

$30.81 CA$43.56

28.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$14.84 $14.84

$11.47 CA$16.22

29.38%

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

$1,912 $1,912

$506 CA$716

277.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.2K $36.2K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

122.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 $58.5

$57.3 CA$81.0

2.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.11 $40.11

$38.10 CA$53.9

5.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 $93.9

$91.9 CA$130

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 $142

$110 CA$155

29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,057 $2,057

$1,237 CA$1,748

66.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,813 $1,813

$977 CA$1,381

85.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,672 $3,672

$2,180 CA$3,082

68.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,462 $3,462

$1,608 CA$2,273

115.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,440 $7,440

$5,113 CA$7,228

45.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,677 $6,677

$3,744 CA$5,293

78.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,419 $4,419

$2,957 CA$4,180

49.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

4.48

42.63%

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

Last update for Long Beach, CA: October 18, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Long Beach, CA

$1.8K 56.9%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 46.1% $836

Groceries & Markets

Long Beach, CA

$414 13%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 15.2% $63

Eating Out

Long Beach, CA

$355 11.1%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 18.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Long Beach, CA

$295 9.3%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 48.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Long Beach, CA

$151 4.7%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 11.3% $17

Getting Around

Long Beach, CA

$89 2.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 12.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Long Beach, CA

$69 2.2%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 22.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,057 in Long Beach, CA and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Long Beach, CA pays 49% 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: $79.0 in Long Beach, CA vs $73.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $351 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Long Beach, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:44 4:44 PM

19:44 7:44 PM

3 h ahead of Long Beach, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

469,450

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Long Beach, CA Montreal 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Long Beach, CA
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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

Long Beach, CA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Long Beach, CA and Montreal differ by about 55% in total monthly costs ($3,185 vs $2,059 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Long Beach, CA, 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: $2,057 in Long Beach, CA versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $79.0 in Long Beach, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,185 per month in Long Beach, CA versus $2,059 in Montreal – a 55% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $3,185 in Long Beach, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Long Beach, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Long Beach, CA 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 55% less than in Long Beach, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.