Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marion, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,437 in Marion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Marion, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in Marion, IL
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Marion, IL Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Marion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,437

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,437 per month in Marion, IL vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Marion, IL $2,437
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $3,587 per month in Marion, IL vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Marion, IL $3,587
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Marion, IL vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Marion, IL $4,737
Montreal $4,187

Marion, IL costs about 18% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Marion, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Marion, IL by 80%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.67 $17.67

$18.84 CA$26.63

-6.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.3 $76.3

$73.2 CA$104

4.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 $12.15

$10.54 CA$14.90

15.28%

Cappuccino

$5.73 $5.73

$3.97 CA$5.61

44.33%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.94 CA$2.74

21.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.57 CA$2.22

26.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 $6.89

$6.42 CA$9.08

7.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 $7.96

$7.20 CA$10.19

10.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 $0.77

$2.32 CA$3.28

-66.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 $1.63

$3.19 CA$4.51

-48.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.19 CA$4.50

23.51%

Eggs

$2.99 $2.99

$3.68 CA$5.20

-18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$13.24 CA$18.72

-67.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.43 $11.43

$11.69 CA$16.53

-2.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.99 $18.99

$13.98 CA$19.76

35.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$3.14 CA$4.44

83.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.45 CA$2.05

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$3.38 CA$4.78

68.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$3.11 CA$4.40

53.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.93 CA$2.72

69.43%

Onion (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$1.83 CA$2.58

132.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.36 CA$3.34

11.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.50 CA$2.12

44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.08 $9.08

$11.12 CA$15.73

-18.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 $10.17

$10.60 CA$14.98

-4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.22 CA$3.14

-22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.84 CA$4.01

-44.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.62 CA$3.71

-30.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.23 CA$4.56

-37.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.48 CA$2.10

-6.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.20 $20.20

$32.22 CA$45.55

-37.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.36 CA$1.92

-27.21%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

2.53%

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

$26.6K $26.6K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

25.63%

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

$150 $150

$77.0 CA$109

94.92%

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

$84.3 $84.3

$34.14 CA$48.26

146.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$42.19 CA$59.7

74.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.51 $41.51

$30.81 CA$43.56

34.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 $9.84

$11.47 CA$16.22

-14.21%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$506 CA$716

234.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

50.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.46 $25.46

$57.3 CA$81.0

-55.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.36 $33.36

$38.10 CA$53.9

-12.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 $74.9

$91.9 CA$130

-18.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.1 $86.1

$110 CA$155

-21.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 $1,576

$1,237 CA$1,748

27.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 $1,287

$977 CA$1,381

31.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,503 $2,503

$2,180 CA$3,082

14.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,135 $2,135

$1,608 CA$2,273

32.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,461 $2,461

$5,113 CA$7,228

-51.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,586 $2,586

$3,744 CA$5,293

-30.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

4.48

47.32%

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

Last update for Marion, IL: 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

Marion, IL

$1.3K 52.8%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 24.1% $310

Groceries & Markets

Marion, IL

$352 14.4%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 0.2% $0.6

Eating Out

Marion, IL

$314 12.9%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 7.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marion, IL

$308 12.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 50.2% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Marion, IL

$99 4.1%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 35.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Marion, IL

$61 2.5%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 12.1% $7.4

Getting Around

Marion, IL

$16 * 0.7%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 518% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,576 in Marion, IL versus $1,237 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 $76.0 in Marion, IL versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $351 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Marion, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

20:55 8:55 PM

1 h ahead of Marion, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,193

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Marion, IL Montreal 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Marion, IL
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

Marion, IL vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marion, IL costs about 18% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,656 per month in Marion, IL and $3,089 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 $76.0 in Marion, IL and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Marion, IL, 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 $2,059, than in Marion, IL at $2,437. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marion, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,437 in Marion, IL. 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, Marion, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.