Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,528 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,528 in Merced, CA versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Merced, CA $2,528
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,698 in Merced, CA versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Merced, CA $3,698
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,868 in Merced, CA versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Merced, CA $4,868
Montreal $4,152

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 25% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merced, CA 87% above, Montreal 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 $17.30

$18.82 CA$26.61

-8.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.53 $39.53

$70.3 CA$99.4

-43.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$10.66 CA$15.06

13.79%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$3.84 CA$5.43

47.66%

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

$2.47 $2.47

$1.92 CA$2.71

28.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.54 CA$2.18

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$6.23 CA$8.81

46.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$7.10 CA$10.03

42.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$2.31 CA$3.27

-46.32%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.14 CA$4.44

37.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$3.21 CA$4.54

30.22%

Eggs

$5.69 $5.69

$3.52 CA$4.97

61.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$12.81 CA$18.11

50.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$11.46 CA$16.20

24.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.62 $21.62

$13.39 CA$18.92

61.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$3.14 CA$4.43

41.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.44 CA$2.03

40.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.47 CA$4.91

55.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$3.07 CA$4.34

74.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$1.90 CA$2.69

83.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$1.77 CA$2.50

67.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.34 CA$3.31

4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.55 CA$2.19

65.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$11.38 CA$16.09

4.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$10.63 CA$15.03

48.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$2.27 CA$3.21

6.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.82 CA$3.99

20.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.66 CA$3.76

-43.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$77.3 CA$109

-22.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.20 CA$4.53

-4.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.48 CA$2.09

12.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 $26.51

$32.88 CA$46.48

-19.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.34 CA$1.90

-1.49%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

32.33%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

31.27%

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

$237 $237

$76.0 CA$107

212.60%

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

$29.93 $29.93

$33.95 CA$48.00

-11.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.7 $82.7

$42.31 CA$59.8

95.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.75 $32.75

$29.76 CA$42.07

10.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 $14.11

$20.28 CA$28.67

-30.42%

Cinema Ticket

$16.87 $16.87

$11.15 CA$15.77

51.30%

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

$1,851 $1,851

$507 CA$717

265.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.5K $40.5K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

152.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$57.6 CA$81.4

4.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$37.58 CA$53.1

34.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$91.9 CA$130

8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$110 CA$155

9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$1,260 CA$1,782

29.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 $1,082

$948 CA$1,340

14.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$2,137 CA$3,021

-5.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 $1,905

$1,614 CA$2,281

18.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 $2,890

$4,960 CA$7,011

-41.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,896 $2,896

$3,838 CA$5,425

-24.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 $3,329

$2,827 CA$3,997

17.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

4.48

41.96%

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

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8%

Montreal

$948 47% 12.4% $135

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$479 19%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 27.7% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$350 13.9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 56.5% $198

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 11.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$149 5.9%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 10.1% $15

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$77 3.1%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 27.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$66 2.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 21.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,638 in Merced, CA and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $40.00 in Merced, CA vs $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $346, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

14:06 2:06 PM

3 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 = 0.889 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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Between locations

Merced, CA Montreal 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Merced, CA
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

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

Merced, CA and Montreal differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,528 vs $2,018 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Merced, CA, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,638 in Merced, CA versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,851 in Merced, CA versus $507 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,528 in Merced, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Merced, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Merced, CA 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 25% less than in Merced, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.