Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merrillville, IN and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Merrillville, IN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,597 in Merrillville, IN versus $2,059 in Montreal.

Merrillville, IN $2,597
Montreal $2,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,672 in Merrillville, IN versus $3,123 in Montreal.

Merrillville, IN $3,672
Montreal $3,123

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,748 in Merrillville, IN versus $4,187 in Montreal.

Merrillville, IN $4,748
Montreal $4,187

Living in Merrillville, IN is roughly 26% more expensive than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merrillville, IN 92% above, Montreal 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.93 $14.93

$18.84 CA$26.63

-20.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 $55.9

$73.2 CA$104

-23.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.54 CA$14.90

-6.26%

Cappuccino

$4.63 $4.63

$3.97 CA$5.61

16.62%

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

$2.19 $2.19

$1.94 CA$2.74

12.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 $2.24

$1.57 CA$2.22

42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 $4.54

$6.42 CA$9.08

-29.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 $5.90

$7.20 CA$10.19

-18.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$2.32 CA$3.28

-68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 $3.19

$3.19 CA$4.51

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.19 CA$4.50

42.32%

Eggs

$4.63 $4.63

$3.68 CA$5.20

25.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 $11.10

$13.24 CA$18.72

-16.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 $9.61

$11.69 CA$16.53

-17.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.94 $21.94

$13.98 CA$19.76

56.94%

Apples (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$3.14 CA$4.44

83.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.45 CA$2.05

-22.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.39 $4.39

$3.38 CA$4.78

29.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.49 $5.49

$3.11 CA$4.40

76.53%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$1.93 CA$2.72

90.67%

Onion (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$1.83 CA$2.58

140.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.36 CA$3.34

3.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.50 CA$2.12

-15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.36 $11.36

$11.12 CA$15.73

2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.60 CA$14.98

15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.22 CA$3.14

-6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 $3.43

$2.84 CA$4.01

20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.62 CA$3.71

-22.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.23 CA$4.56

53.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.48 CA$2.10

26.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.3 $50.3

$32.22 CA$45.55

55.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 $0.93

$1.36 CA$1.92

-31.62%

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

$27.9K $27.9K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

0.81%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

27.54%

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

$233 $233

$77.0 CA$109

201.80%

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

$50.9 $50.9

$34.14 CA$48.26

48.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 $59.0

$42.19 CA$59.7

39.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.50 $47.50

$30.81 CA$43.56

54.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 $14.98

$11.47 CA$16.22

30.60%

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

$1,397 $1,397

$506 CA$716

175.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K $20.4K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

25.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 $53.3

$57.3 CA$81.0

-6.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 $40.39

$38.10 CA$53.9

6.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$91.9 CA$130

15.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 $95.7

$110 CA$155

-12.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 $1,510

$1,237 CA$1,748

22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,374 $1,374

$977 CA$1,381

40.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 $2,410

$2,180 CA$3,082

10.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 $2,148

$1,608 CA$2,273

33.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,523 $2,523

$5,113 CA$7,228

-50.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 $2,195

$3,744 CA$5,293

-41.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

4.48

45.76%

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

Last update for Merrillville, IN: 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

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 28.9% $398

Groceries & Markets

Merrillville, IN

$390 15%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 10% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 55.2% $189

Eating Out

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 13.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Merrillville, IN

$77 3%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 30.6% $24

Getting Around

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 348% $78

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 $1,510 in Merrillville, IN and $1,237 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Merrillville, IN vs $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries flip the comparison at $390 vs $351, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:41 4:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

1 h ahead of Merrillville, IN

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,444

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

Merrillville, IN Montreal 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Merrillville, IN
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

Merrillville, IN vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merrillville, IN and Montreal differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,597 vs $2,059 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,895 in Merrillville, IN and $3,089 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: $1,510 in Merrillville, IN versus $1,237 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,597 per month in Merrillville, IN versus $2,059 in Montreal – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. 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, Merrillville, IN 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 26% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.