Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Abbotsford

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,276 in Abbotsford, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
110

Cost of Living Index in Abbotsford
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Abbotsford Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Abbotsford

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Abbotsford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montreal and in Abbotsford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,276 in Abbotsford, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Abbotsford $2,276

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,324 in Abbotsford, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Abbotsford $3,324

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,371 in Abbotsford, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Abbotsford $4,371

Montreal is about 10% cheaper than Abbotsford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Abbotsford sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Abbotsford by 68%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$14.97 CA$21.17

25.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$48.86 CA$69.1

49.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.18 CA$14.39

3.54%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.94 CA$5.57

0.76%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.84 CA$2.60

5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.16 CA$8.72

4.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.51 CA$7.80

30.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.86 CA$2.62

24.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.11 CA$2.98

51.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.45 CA$6.30

-28.31%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.20 CA$4.53

15.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.33 CA$17.43

7.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$18.43 CA$26.06

-36.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$30.98 CA$43.79

-54.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$6.06 CA$8.56

-48.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.47 CA$2.08

-1.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.95 CA$6.99

-31.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.67 CA$5.18

-15.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$4.18 CA$5.90

-53.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.49 CA$3.52

-26.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.61 CA$3.70

-9.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.83 CA$2.59

-18.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.68 CA$20.75

-24.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$10.66 CA$15.07

-0.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$4.04 CA$5.71

-45.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.75 CA$5.30

-24.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.61 CA$3.69

0.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$45.22 CA$63.9

75.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.56 CA$5.03

-9.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.45 CA$2.04

2.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$25.28 CA$35.74

27.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.34 CA$1.90

1.49%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$25.6K CA$36.2K

8.11%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$21.4K CA$30.2K

-0.95%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$113 CA$159

-31.57%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$43.03 CA$60.8

-20.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$68.8 CA$97.2

-38.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$30.25 CA$42.77

1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$15.89 CA$22.47

23.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$11.33 CA$16.02

1.24%

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

$506 CA$716

$370 CA$522

36.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$8,503 CA$12.0K

90.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$53.0 CA$74.9

8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$40.82 CA$57.7

-6.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$81.3 CA$115

13.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$97.4 CA$138

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,257 CA$1,776

-1.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,088 CA$1,539

-10.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,944 CA$2,748

12.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,731 CA$2,447

-7.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,713 CA$6,662

8.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,859 CA$4,042

30.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,041 CA$4,299

-2.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.72

-5.08%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Abbotsford: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Abbotsford

$1.1K 47.8% 11.4% $112

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Abbotsford

$469 20.6% 33.5% $117

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Abbotsford

$253 11.1% 12.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Abbotsford

$224 9.9% 46.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Abbotsford

$123 5.4% 8.3% $11

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Abbotsford

$66 2.9% 33.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Abbotsford

$53 2.3% 1.6% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,257 in Abbotsford. 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 3% higher in Abbotsford, 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 $73.0 in Montreal versus $49.00 in Abbotsford. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $469 in Abbotsford – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Abbotsford

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

141,397

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Abbotsford 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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

Montreal vs Abbotsford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,059 in Montreal, $2,276 in Abbotsford – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,415 in Abbotsford. 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 $73.0 in Montreal and $49.00 in Abbotsford. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,059 in Montreal and $2,276 in Abbotsford. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Abbotsford at $2,276. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Abbotsford 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 $2,059 in Montreal to $2,276 in Abbotsford. 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, Abbotsford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.