Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Gatos, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

236

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Los Gatos, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,903

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,903 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $4,903
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $7,295 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $7,295
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $9,686 per month in Los Gatos, CA vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Los Gatos, CA $9,686
Montreal $4,152

Los Gatos, CA costs about 143% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Los Gatos, CA and Montreal sit above the global median – Los Gatos, CA by 263%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.15 $25.15

$18.82 CA$26.61

33.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.6 $98.6

$70.3 CA$99.4

40.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.66 CA$15.06

39.59%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$3.84 CA$5.43

69.27%

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

$3.04 $3.04

$1.92 CA$2.71

58.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.54 CA$2.18

59.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 $8.07

$6.23 CA$8.81

29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.20 $8.20

$7.10 CA$10.03

15.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$2.31 CA$3.27

-44.59%

White Bread (500g)

$4.41 $4.41

$3.14 CA$4.44

40.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$3.21 CA$4.54

49.53%

Eggs

$6.56 $6.56

$3.52 CA$4.97

86.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.81 $24.81

$12.81 CA$18.11

93.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 $11.69

$11.46 CA$16.20

2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 $13.00

$13.39 CA$18.92

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$5.58 $5.58

$3.14 CA$4.43

77.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 $3.10

$1.44 CA$2.03

115.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.47 CA$4.91

40.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$3.07 CA$4.34

85.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 $3.39

$1.90 CA$2.69

78.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$1.77 CA$2.50

119.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.34 CA$3.31

30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 $2.72

$1.55 CA$2.19

75.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.36 $7.36

$11.38 CA$16.09

-35.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 $12.81

$10.63 CA$15.03

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.27 CA$3.21

-5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.82 CA$3.99

-9.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.20 CA$4.53

24.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.48 CA$2.09

236.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.34 CA$1.90

17.16%

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

$30.2K $30.2K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

7.28%

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

$26.4K $26.4K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

34.53%

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

$374 $374

$76.0 CA$107

393.00%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$33.95 CA$48.00

70.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.8 $61.8

$42.31 CA$59.8

45.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$147 $147

$29.76 CA$42.07

393.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 $17.05

$11.15 CA$15.77

52.91%

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

$2,282 $2,282

$507 CA$717

350.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.0K $24.0K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

49.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 $52.0

$57.6 CA$81.4

-9.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.24 $39.24

$37.58 CA$53.1

4.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 $75.1

$91.9 CA$130

-18.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$110 CA$155

-45.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,440 $3,440

$1,260 CA$1,782

172.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,222 $3,222

$948 CA$1,340

240.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$6,089 $6,089

$1,614 CA$2,281

277.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,511 $3,511

$4,960 CA$7,011

-29.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.48

49.33%

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

Last update for Los Gatos, CA: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Gatos, CA

$3.2K 65.7%

Montreal

$948 47% 70.6% $2.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Gatos, CA

$494 10.1%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 69.2% $342

Groceries & Markets

Los Gatos, CA

$473 9.6%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 26.7% $126

Eating Out

Los Gatos, CA

$403 8.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 28.5% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Los Gatos, CA

$181 3.7%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 71.2% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Los Gatos, CA

$102 2.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 30.9% $32

Getting Around

Los Gatos, CA

$29 * 0.6%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 241% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,440 in Los Gatos, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $473 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Los Gatos, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

3 h ahead of Los Gatos, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,222

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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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Los Gatos, CA Montreal 4,080 km ≈ 6 h 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

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

Los Gatos, CA costs about 143% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,355 per month in Los Gatos, CA 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 Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Los Gatos, CA and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Los Gatos, CA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Los Gatos, CA at $4,903. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Los Gatos, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $4,903 in Los Gatos, CA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Los Gatos, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.