Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Abilene, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,186 in Abilene, TX, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abilene, TX outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Abilene, TX
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Abilene, TX Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Abilene, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Abilene, TX

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 Abilene, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX.

Montreal $2,018
Abilene, TX $2,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $3,178 in Abilene, TX.

Montreal $3,085
Abilene, TX $3,178

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $4,169 in Abilene, TX.

Montreal $4,152
Abilene, TX $4,169

Living in Montreal costs roughly 8% less than in Abilene, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Abilene, TX 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$18.06 $18.06

4.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$64.4 $64.4

9.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.13 $9.13

16.76%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.47 $5.47

-29.80%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.38 $2.38

-19.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.86 $1.86

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$4.97 $4.97

25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.81 $5.81

22.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.03 $1.03

124.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.32 $2.32

35.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$5.63 $5.63

-42.98%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.73 $3.73

-5.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.39 $8.39

52.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$13.02 $13.02

-11.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$14.06 $14.06

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.39 $3.39

-7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.97 $0.97

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.67 $4.67

-25.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$5.30 $5.30

-42.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$4.22 $4.22

-54.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.51 $3.51

-49.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.48 $2.48

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.96 $1.96

-20.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$5.85 $5.85

94.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.31 $11.31

-6.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.55 $2.55

-10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.11 $4.11

-31.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.71 $1.71

55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$53.3 $53.3

45.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$14.86 $14.86

121.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$0.86 $0.86

55.81%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$19.1K $19.1K

47.29%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$24.5K $24.5K

-19.76%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$236 $236

-67.86%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$58.7 $58.7

-42.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$61.3 $61.3

-30.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$20.16 $20.16

47.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.02 $12.02

-7.24%

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

$507 CA$717

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$42.11 $42.11

36.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$19.74 $19.74

90.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$62.9 $62.9

46.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$65.6 $65.6

66.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,160 $1,160

8.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$981 $981

-3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,847 $1,847

15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,601 $1,601

0.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,667 $1,667

197.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,711 $1,711

124.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,281 $3,281

-13.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.49

-30.97%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Abilene, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Abilene, TX

$981 44.9% 3.6% $34

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Abilene, TX

$368 16.8% 6.2% $22

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Abilene, TX

$291 13.3% 1.1% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Abilene, TX

$356 16.3% 134% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Abilene, TX

$86 3.9% 35.8% $48

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Abilene, TX

$60 * 2.8% 39% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Abilene, TX

$44 2% 15.1% $7.9

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 $1,260 in Montreal and $1,160 in Abilene, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abilene, TX pays 16% 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: $70.0 in Montreal vs $64.0 in Abilene, TX. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $368, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Abilene, TX

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

125,182

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Abilene, TX 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Abilene, TX

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 Abilene, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Abilene, TX differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $2,186 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 16% lower in Abilene, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,160 in Abilene, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $64.0 in Abilene, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 45% less than in Abilene, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,186 in Abilene, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Abilene, TX. 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, Montreal and Abilene, TX 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 8% less than in Abilene, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.