Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Alert

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,220 in Alert, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alert outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Alert
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Alert Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Alert

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Alert

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,220 in Alert, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Alert $2,220

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,195 in Alert, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Alert $3,195

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,171 in Alert, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Alert $4,171

Montreal is about 7% cheaper than Alert, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Alert sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Alert by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.69 CA$25.01

6.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$65.0 CA$91.9

12.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.53 CA$14.89

0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.51 CA$4.96

13.11%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.01 CA$2.84

-3.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.56 CA$2.20

0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.34 CA$7.54

20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.58 CA$7.89

29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.05 CA$2.89

13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.45 CA$3.46

30.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.29 CA$4.64

-3.04%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.42 CA$4.84

7.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$9.50 CA$13.43

39.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.41 CA$16.13

2.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.63 CA$20.68

-4.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.85 CA$5.44

-18.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.27 CA$1.79

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.69 CA$5.22

-8.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.71 CA$5.25

-16.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.44 CA$3.45

-20.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.24 CA$3.17

-18.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.55 CA$2.19

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.25 CA$20.14

-21.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$12.40 CA$17.53

-14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.61 CA$3.69

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.96 CA$4.19

-4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.25 CA$3.18

16.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$61.2 CA$86.5

29.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.88 CA$4.07

12.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.43 CA$2.02

3.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$22.87 CA$32.33

40.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.17 CA$1.66

16.24%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

1.37%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$19.3K CA$27.3K

9.57%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$132 CA$186

-41.57%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$37.42 CA$52.9

-8.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$54.2 CA$76.7

-22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$40.55 CA$57.3

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$17.87 CA$25.26

10.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$11.20 CA$15.84

2.41%

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

$506 CA$716

$752 CA$1,063

-32.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$13.2K CA$18.7K

23.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$53.0 CA$74.9

8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$38.42 CA$54.3

-0.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$83.8 CA$118

9.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$103 CA$145

6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,220 CA$1,725

1.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,116 CA$1,577

-12.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,940 CA$2,743

12.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,667 CA$2,357

-3.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,131 CA$5,840

23.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,514 CA$4,968

6.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.66

-3.86%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Alert: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Alert

$1.1K 50.3% 14.2% $139

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Alert

$345 15.5% 1.7% $6.1

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Alert

$267 12% 8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Alert

$224 10.1% 45.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Alert

$125 5.6% 6.4% $8.6

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Alert

$80 3.6% 20.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Alert

$63 2.8% 17.1% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,220 in Alert. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal versus $65.0 in Alert. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $345 – making Alert the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Alert

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

💱 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

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Montreal Alert 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Alert: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,059 in Montreal, $2,220 in Alert – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,330 in Alert. 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Alert – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $65.0 in Alert. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Alert at $2,220. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alert 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 $2,220 in Alert. 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, Alert makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.