Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Los Angeles, CA
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Los Angeles, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,259

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Los Angeles, CA $4,259
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $6,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Los Angeles, CA $6,260
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $8,260 in Los Angeles, CA versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Los Angeles, CA $8,260
Montreal $4,092

Living in Los Angeles, CA is roughly 113% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Los Angeles, CA 218% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.00 $27.00

$19.31 CA$27.52

39.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 $122

$75.5 CA$108

61.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.98 $14.98

$10.63 CA$15.15

40.92%

Cappuccino

$5.84 $5.84

$3.93 CA$5.60

48.60%

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

$3.77 $3.77

$1.92 CA$2.73

96.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.48 CA$2.11

80.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$6.30 CA$8.98

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.84 $9.84

$7.19 CA$10.24

36.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 $1.30

$2.22 CA$3.17

-41.44%

White Bread (500g)

$4.84 $4.84

$3.06 CA$4.36

58.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$2.94 CA$4.19

52.38%

Eggs

$6.14 $6.14

$3.53 CA$5.03

73.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 $11.32

$13.19 CA$18.79

-14.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$11.24 CA$16.02

40.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.94 $19.94

$13.81 CA$19.69

44.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$3.40 CA$4.85

54.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.44 CA$2.06

61.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.26 CA$4.65

43.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.65 $5.65

$2.88 CA$4.10

96.18%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.86 CA$2.65

76.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.82 CA$2.60

58.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.43 CA$3.46

-13.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 $2.44

$1.52 CA$2.17

60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 $12.78

$11.45 CA$16.32

11.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$10.36 CA$14.76

45.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.22 CA$3.16

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 $2.81

$2.82 CA$4.02

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 $1.79

$2.58 CA$3.67

-30.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 $104

$76.9 CA$110

35.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.25 CA$4.64

-5.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.48 CA$2.11

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.58 $31.58

$33.04 CA$47.09

-4.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.36 CA$1.94

19.12%

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

$37.7K $37.7K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

37.34%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

31.82%

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

$288 $288

$76.1 CA$109

278.26%

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

$77.9 $77.9

$34.68 CA$49.43

124.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$80.5 $80.5

$42.69 CA$60.9

88.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.2 $74.2

$28.94 CA$41.26

156.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 $11.90

$20.33 CA$28.97

-41.47%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 $19.79

$11.21 CA$15.98

76.54%

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

$1,678 $1,678

$505 CA$720

232.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.9K $31.9K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

99.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 $91.3

$58.5 CA$83.4

56.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 $65.7

$38.00 CA$54.2

72.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$92.7 CA$132

30.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$206 $206

$106 CA$151

94.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 $2,545

$1,240 CA$1,768

105.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,443 $2,443

$986 CA$1,405

147.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,518 $5,518

$2,102 CA$2,996

162.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,275 $4,275

$1,615 CA$2,302

164.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,211 $7,211

$5,043 CA$7,188

42.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,930 $6,930

$3,830 CA$5,459

80.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,173 $4,173

$2,920 CA$4,163

42.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.86

4.46

53.81%

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

Last update for Los Angeles, CA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Angeles, CA

$2.4K 57.8%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 59.6% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Los Angeles, CA

$467 11.1%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 26.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Angeles, CA

$446 10.6%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 65.6% $293

Eating Out

Los Angeles, CA

$417 9.9%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 29.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Los Angeles, CA

$218 5.2%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 39.1% $85

Getting Around

Los Angeles, CA

$124 2.9%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 20.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA

$114 2.7%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 54.9% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Los Angeles, CA pays 43% 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: $122 in Los Angeles, CA vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $467 vs $344 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

07:19 7:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

3 h ahead of Los Angeles, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,030,904

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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 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

Los Angeles, CA Montreal 3,970 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Angeles, CA
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 Angeles, CA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 113% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Los Angeles, 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: $2,545 in Los Angeles, CA versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 35% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,678 in Los Angeles, CA versus $505 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,003 in Montreal versus $4,259 in Los Angeles, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Los Angeles, CA. 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 Los Angeles, CA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Los Angeles, 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 113% less than in Los Angeles, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.