Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meridian, MS and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,616 in Meridian, MS, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Meridian, MS
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Meridian, MS Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Meridian, MS

🇺🇸 United States

$2,616

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,616 per month in Meridian, MS vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Meridian, MS $2,616
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $3,954 per month in Meridian, MS vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Meridian, MS $3,954
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $5,292 per month in Meridian, MS vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Meridian, MS $5,292
Montreal $4,092

Meridian, MS costs about 31% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Meridian, MS and Montreal sit above the global median – Meridian, MS by 95%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.06 $26.06

$19.31 CA$27.52

34.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 $107

$75.5 CA$108

41.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 $10.35

$10.63 CA$15.15

-2.63%

Cappuccino

$4.02 $4.02

$3.93 CA$5.60

2.29%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.92 CA$2.73

14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.48 CA$2.11

47.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.88 $5.88

$6.30 CA$8.98

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 $7.84

$7.19 CA$10.24

9.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.22 CA$3.17

-59.91%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.06 CA$4.36

37.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.94 CA$4.19

-30.27%

Eggs

$3.95 $3.95

$3.53 CA$5.03

11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.46 $15.46

$13.19 CA$18.79

17.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.50 $8.50

$11.24 CA$16.02

-24.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.49 $15.49

$13.81 CA$19.69

12.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.40 CA$4.85

-13.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.44 CA$2.06

-21.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 $2.81

$3.26 CA$4.65

-13.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.88 CA$4.10

50.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.86 CA$2.65

1.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.82 CA$2.60

72.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$2.43 CA$3.46

-13.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 $2.60

$1.52 CA$2.17

71.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.04 $9.04

$11.45 CA$16.32

-21.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 $16.76

$10.36 CA$14.76

61.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.22 CA$3.16

15.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 $3.84

$2.82 CA$4.02

36.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.58 CA$3.67

-11.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.25 CA$4.64

8.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.48 CA$2.11

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 $35.46

$33.04 CA$47.09

7.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.36 CA$1.94

-30.88%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

28.63%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

30.31%

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

$257 $257

$76.1 CA$109

237.64%

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

$70.8 $70.8

$34.68 CA$49.43

104.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.6 $74.6

$42.69 CA$60.9

74.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.81 $45.81

$28.94 CA$41.26

58.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

Cinema Ticket

$12.27 $12.27

$11.21 CA$15.98

9.46%

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

$606 $606

$505 CA$720

19.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-34.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 $58.4

$58.5 CA$83.4

-0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.00 $43.00

$38.00 CA$54.2

13.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 $87.6

$92.7 CA$132

-5.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 $122

$106 CA$151

14.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 $1,609

$1,240 CA$1,768

29.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,296 $1,296

$986 CA$1,405

31.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,520 $2,520

$2,102 CA$2,996

19.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 $2,161

$1,615 CA$2,302

33.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,720 $2,720

$5,043 CA$7,188

-46.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,250 $2,250

$3,830 CA$5,459

-41.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,135 $4,135

$2,920 CA$4,163

41.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.66

4.46

49.33%

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

Last update for Meridian, MS: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Meridian, MS

$1.3K 48.9%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 23.9% $310

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meridian, MS

$402 15.2%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 61.8% $249

Groceries & Markets

Meridian, MS

$370 14%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 7.2% $27

Eating Out

Meridian, MS

$350 13.2%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 16.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Meridian, MS

$140 5.3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 5% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Meridian, MS

$70 2.7%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 27% $19

Getting Around

Meridian, MS

$20 * 0.8%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 383% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,609 in Meridian, MS 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 42% higher in Meridian, MS, 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 $107 in Meridian, MS versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $344 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Meridian, MS

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

09:41 9:41 AM

10:41 10:41 AM

1 h ahead of Meridian, MS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,200

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 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 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

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Between locations

Meridian, MS Montreal 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Meridian, MS
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

Meridian, MS vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Meridian, MS is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,924 per month in Meridian, MS 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in Meridian, MS and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Meridian, MS, 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 $2,003, than in Meridian, MS at $2,616. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meridian, MS it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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