Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Memphis, TN and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,501 in Memphis, TN, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Memphis, TN
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Memphis, TN Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Memphis, TN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,501

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Memphis, TN vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Memphis, TN $2,501
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,673 per month in Memphis, TN vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Memphis, TN $3,673
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,844 per month in Memphis, TN vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Memphis, TN $4,844
Montreal $4,152

Memphis, TN costs about 24% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Memphis, TN and Montreal sit above the global median – Memphis, TN by 85%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.99 $17.99

$18.82 CA$26.61

-4.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 $74.5

$70.3 CA$99.4

5.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 $12.16

$10.66 CA$15.06

14.07%

Cappuccino

$5.68 $5.68

$3.84 CA$5.43

47.92%

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

$2.40 $2.40

$1.92 CA$2.71

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.54 CA$2.18

29.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.12 $7.12

$6.23 CA$8.81

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.03 $8.03

$7.10 CA$10.03

13.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$2.31 CA$3.27

-59.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.14 CA$4.44

0.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.21 CA$4.54

23.36%

Eggs

$3.77 $3.77

$3.52 CA$4.97

7.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$12.81 CA$18.11

2.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 $11.45

$11.46 CA$16.20

-0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.84 $18.84

$13.39 CA$18.92

40.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.67 $5.67

$3.14 CA$4.43

80.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.44 CA$2.03

18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 $5.71

$3.47 CA$4.91

64.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$3.07 CA$4.34

62.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.90 CA$2.69

65.26%

Onion (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$1.77 CA$2.50

135.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.34 CA$3.31

12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.55 CA$2.19

39.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.87 $10.87

$11.38 CA$16.09

-4.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 $12.94

$10.63 CA$15.03

21.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.27 CA$3.21

-22.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.82 CA$3.99

-43.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 $1.02

$2.66 CA$3.76

-61.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 $38.55

$77.3 CA$109

-50.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$3.20 CA$4.53

-36.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.48 CA$2.09

-4.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.36 $20.36

$32.88 CA$46.48

-38.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.34 CA$1.90

-23.88%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

32.66%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

37.98%

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

$187 $187

$76.0 CA$107

146.38%

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

$86.3 $86.3

$33.95 CA$48.00

154.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 $75.8

$42.31 CA$59.8

79.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.47 $31.47

$29.76 CA$42.07

5.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.62 $16.62

$20.28 CA$28.67

-18.05%

Cinema Ticket

$14.76 $14.76

$11.15 CA$15.77

32.38%

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

$1,720 $1,720

$507 CA$717

239.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K $24.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

54.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.08 $47.08

$57.6 CA$81.4

-18.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.58 $33.58

$37.58 CA$53.1

-10.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.2 $82.2

$91.9 CA$130

-10.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 $156

$110 CA$155

41.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 $1,448

$1,260 CA$1,782

14.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 $1,175

$948 CA$1,340

23.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,073 $2,073

$2,137 CA$3,021

-3.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 $1,900

$1,614 CA$2,281

17.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 $1,755

$4,960 CA$7,011

-64.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 $1,351

$3,838 CA$5,425

-64.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,523 $3,523

$2,827 CA$3,997

24.61%

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 Memphis, TN: 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

Memphis, TN

$1.2K 47%

Montreal

$948 47% 19.3% $227

Groceries & Markets

Memphis, TN

$404 16.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 14.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Memphis, TN

$349 14%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 56.4% $197

Eating Out

Memphis, TN

$318 12.7%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 9.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Memphis, TN

$143 5.7%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 6.9% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Memphis, TN

$61 2.4%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 14.6% $8.9

Getting Around

Memphis, TN

$52 2.1%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 90.5% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,448 in Memphis, TN 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.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Memphis, TN, 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 $74.0 in Memphis, TN versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Memphis, TN

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

1 h ahead of Memphis, TN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

633,104

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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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Between locations

Memphis, TN Montreal 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Memphis, TN
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

Memphis, TN vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,501 in Memphis, TN, $2,018 in Montreal – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,752 per month in Memphis, TN 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.

Public transport costs about 100% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,720 per month in Memphis, TN and $507 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 $2,018, than in Memphis, TN at $2,501. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Memphis, TN 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 $2,018 in Montreal to $2,501 in Memphis, TN. 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, Memphis, TN makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.