Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne, AR and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,394 in Melbourne, AR, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Melbourne, AR outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

116

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne, AR
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Melbourne, AR Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Melbourne, AR

🇺🇸 United States

$2,394

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Melbourne, AR versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Melbourne, AR $2,394
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,462 in Melbourne, AR versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Melbourne, AR $3,462
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,530 in Melbourne, AR versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Melbourne, AR $4,530
Montreal $4,152

Living in Melbourne, AR is roughly 19% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne, AR 77% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.76 $6.76

$18.84 CA$26.63

-64.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 $78.5

$73.2 CA$104

7.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.36 $9.36

$10.54 CA$14.90

-11.20%

Cappuccino

$5.70 $5.70

$3.97 CA$5.61

43.58%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$1.94 CA$2.74

-2.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.57 CA$2.22

3.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$6.42 CA$9.08

-9.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 $7.03

$7.20 CA$10.19

-2.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.32 CA$3.28

-59.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.81 $3.81

$3.19 CA$4.51

19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.02 $6.02

$3.19 CA$4.50

88.71%

Eggs

$5.15 $5.15

$3.68 CA$5.20

39.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.13 $8.13

$13.24 CA$18.72

-38.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 $8.53

$11.69 CA$16.53

-27.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$13.98 CA$19.76

-5.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$3.14 CA$4.44

45.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.45 CA$2.05

1.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 $2.78

$3.38 CA$4.78

-17.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.11 CA$4.40

46.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.93 CA$2.72

-1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.83 CA$2.58

34.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.36 CA$3.34

-38.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.50 CA$2.12

35.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.29 $9.29

$11.12 CA$15.73

-16.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 $18.77

$10.60 CA$14.98

77.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.22 CA$3.14

18.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 $4.57

$2.84 CA$4.01

60.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.62 CA$3.71

-15.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.23 CA$4.56

0.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.48 CA$2.10

7.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.55 $32.55

$32.22 CA$45.55

1.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.36 CA$1.92

-30.88%

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

$26.9K $26.9K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-2.65%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

22.71%

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

$179 $179

$77.0 CA$109

132.74%

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

$55.4 $55.4

$34.14 CA$48.26

62.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.1 $63.1

$42.19 CA$59.7

49.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.39 $39.39

$30.81 CA$43.56

27.85%

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)

$1,092 $1,092

$506 CA$716

115.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K $23.4K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

43.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.8 $60.8

$57.3 CA$81.0

6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 $50.6

$38.10 CA$53.9

32.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$91.9 CA$130

23.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 $111

$110 CA$155

1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 $1,584

$1,237 CA$1,748

28.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 $1,292

$977 CA$1,381

32.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 $2,760

$2,180 CA$3,082

26.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 $2,067

$1,608 CA$2,273

28.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,524 $2,524

$5,113 CA$7,228

-50.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,551 $2,551

$3,744 CA$5,293

-31.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.77

4.48

51.12%

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

Last update for Melbourne, AR: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne, AR

$1.3K 54%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 24.4% $316

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne, AR

$365 15.3%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 3.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne, AR

$298 12.4%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 48.5% $144

Eating Out

Melbourne, AR

$208 8.7%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 39.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne, AR

$151 6.3%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 11.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne, AR

$59 2.5%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 9% $5.3

Getting Around

Melbourne, AR

$20 * 0.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 399% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,584 in Melbourne, AR and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Melbourne, AR vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $346 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Melbourne, AR

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

1 h ahead of Melbourne, AR

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,068

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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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

Melbourne, AR Montreal 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne, AR
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

Melbourne, AR vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Melbourne, AR. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,591 in Melbourne, AR and $3,027 in Montreal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,584 in Melbourne, AR versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,092 in Melbourne, AR versus $507 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $79.0 in Melbourne, AR. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,394 in Melbourne, AR, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Melbourne, AR. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Melbourne, AR 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 19% less than in Melbourne, AR. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.