Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
Learn more

Madison, WI Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
Montreal $4,092

Madison, WI costs about 49% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Madison, WI and Montreal sit above the global median – Madison, WI by 123%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$19.31 CA$27.52

1.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$75.5 CA$108

-9.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$10.63 CA$15.15

22.95%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$3.93 CA$5.60

43.26%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.92 CA$2.73

64.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.48 CA$2.11

70.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$6.30 CA$8.98

12.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$7.19 CA$10.24

14.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$2.22 CA$3.17

-55.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.06 CA$4.36

12.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.94 CA$4.19

40.48%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$3.53 CA$5.03

2.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$13.19 CA$18.79

13.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$11.24 CA$16.02

18.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$13.81 CA$19.69

45.26%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$3.40 CA$4.85

39.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.44 CA$2.06

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$3.26 CA$4.65

62.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.88 CA$4.10

72.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$1.86 CA$2.65

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$1.82 CA$2.60

71.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.43 CA$3.46

-9.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.52 CA$2.17

59.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$11.45 CA$16.32

-5.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$10.36 CA$14.76

52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.22 CA$3.16

21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$2.82 CA$4.02

57.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$2.58 CA$3.67

-20.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$76.9 CA$110

-14.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.25 CA$4.64

22.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.48 CA$2.11

36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$33.04 CA$47.09

30.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.36 CA$1.94

-25.74%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

31.24%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

28.27%

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

$269 $269

$76.1 CA$109

253.56%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$34.68 CA$49.43

51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$42.69 CA$60.9

96.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$28.94 CA$41.26

101.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$20.33 CA$28.97

-48.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$11.21 CA$15.98

36.22%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$505 CA$720

237.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

43.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$58.5 CA$83.4

7.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$38.00 CA$54.2

31.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$92.7 CA$132

16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$106 CA$151

14.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$1,240 CA$1,768

44.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$986 CA$1,405

59.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$2,102 CA$2,996

51.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$1,615 CA$2,302

58.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$5,043 CA$7,188

-10.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$3,830 CA$5,459

-35.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$2,920 CA$4,163

50.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

4.46

50.00%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 37.3% $586

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 20.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 62.1% $252

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 13.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 13.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 42.3% $38

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 11.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI versus $1,240 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 50% higher in Madison, WI, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Madison, WI versus $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $432 in Madison, WI vs $344 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

1 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madison, WI Montreal 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in Madison, WI, $2,003 in Montreal – roughly 49% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI and $3,005 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.

Public transport costs about 17% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,705 per month in Madison, WI and $505 in Montreal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,003, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,003 in Montreal to $2,994 in Madison, WI. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Madison, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.