Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Alamos, NM and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Alamos, NM: $1,065 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Los Alamos, NM
Learn more

Los Alamos, NM Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Los Alamos, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$1,065

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,065 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,065
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $1,652
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,240 per month in Los Alamos, NM vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Los Alamos, NM $2,240
Montreal $4,152

Los Alamos, NM is about 47% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Los Alamos, NM sits 21% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 $17.10

$18.82 CA$26.61

-9.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.29 $40.29

$70.3 CA$99.4

-42.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.04 $10.04

$10.66 CA$15.06

-5.82%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$3.84 CA$5.43

28.91%

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

$2.46 $2.46

$1.92 CA$2.71

28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.54 CA$2.18

-3.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 $5.94

$6.23 CA$8.81

-4.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 $7.17

$7.10 CA$10.03

0.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$2.31 CA$3.27

-61.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.14 CA$4.44

-28.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.21 CA$4.54

37.38%

Eggs

$4.03 $4.03

$3.52 CA$4.97

14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$12.81 CA$18.11

-9.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$11.46 CA$16.20

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.69 $17.69

$13.39 CA$18.92

32.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.14 CA$4.43

52.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.44 CA$2.03

-1.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$3.47 CA$4.91

-17.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.07 CA$4.34

47.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.90 CA$2.69

-42.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.77 CA$2.50

84.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$2.34 CA$3.31

-15.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.55 CA$2.19

-68.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.54 $10.54

$11.38 CA$16.09

-7.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$10.63 CA$15.03

30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$2.27 CA$3.21

4.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$2.82 CA$3.99

25.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 $3.51

$3.20 CA$4.53

9.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.48 CA$2.09

33.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.94 $31.94

$32.88 CA$46.48

-2.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.34 CA$1.90

-30.60%

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

$30.7K $30.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

9.15%

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

$24.5K $24.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

24.87%

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

$158 $158

$76.0 CA$107

107.49%

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

$40.32 $40.32

$33.95 CA$48.00

18.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.6 $72.6

$42.31 CA$59.8

71.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 $13.21

$11.15 CA$15.77

18.48%

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

$1,490 $1,490

$507 CA$717

193.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.4K $25.4K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

58.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.08 $20.08

$57.6 CA$81.4

-65.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.91 $43.91

$37.58 CA$53.1

16.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 $105

$91.9 CA$130

14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$110 CA$155

9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$1,260 CA$1,782

-14.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 $1,930

$2,137 CA$3,021

-9.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,277 $3,277

$4,960 CA$7,011

-33.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,380 $3,380

$3,838 CA$5,425

-11.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,229 $8,229

$2,827 CA$3,997

191.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

4.48

46.65%

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

Last update for Los Alamos, NM: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Los Alamos, NM

$338 31.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 2.5% $8.6

Eating Out

Los Alamos, NM

$286 26.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 0.6% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Alamos, NM

$271 25.4%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 43.7% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Los Alamos, NM

$130 12.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 2.4% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Los Alamos, NM

$26 * 2.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 97.1% $26

Getting Around

Los Alamos, NM

$13 * 1.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 637% $85

Accommodation & Living

Los Alamos, NM

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,078 in Los Alamos, NM versus $1,260 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 191% higher in Los Alamos, NM, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Los Alamos, NM versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $346 – making Los Alamos, NM the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Alamos, NM

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

14:43 2:43 PM

2 h ahead of Los Alamos, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,179

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Los Alamos, NM Montreal 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Los Alamos, NM
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

Los Alamos, NM vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,597 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Alamos, NM, 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 $1,065 in Los Alamos, NM and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $1,490 per month in Los Alamos, NM and $507 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Los Alamos, NM, where all-in costs run around $1,065, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Los Alamos, NM it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Los Alamos, NM – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Los Alamos, NM. 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.