Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Ames, IA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,142 in Ames, IA, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Ames, IA despite lower rent and utilities.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Ames, IA
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Ames, IA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Ames, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,142

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Ames, IA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,142 in Ames, IA.

Montreal $2,018
Ames, IA $2,142

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $3,242 in Ames, IA.

Montreal $3,085
Ames, IA $3,242

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $4,342 in Ames, IA.

Montreal $4,152
Ames, IA $4,342

Living in Montreal costs roughly 6% less than in Ames, IA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Ames, IA 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$18.13 $18.13

3.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$52.0 $52.0

35.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$12.18 $12.18

-12.48%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.87 $4.87

-21.15%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.60 $2.60

-26.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.25 $2.25

-31.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$4.05 $4.05

53.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$6.81 $6.81

4.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$0.89 $0.89

159.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.55 $3.55

-11.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$3.26 $3.26

-1.53%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.34 $3.34

5.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.08 $10.08

27.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$13.62 $13.62

-15.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$19.05 $19.05

-29.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.88 $5.88

-46.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.82 $1.82

-20.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$6.69 $6.69

-48.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$5.22 $5.22

-41.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$4.54 $4.54

-58.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$4.07 $4.07

-56.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.32 $2.32

0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.44 $2.44

-36.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$13.03 $13.03

-12.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$16.11 $16.11

-34.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.87 $2.87

-20.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.98 $4.98

-43.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.99 $0.99

168.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$35.57 $35.57

117.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$5.09 $5.09

-37.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.69 $1.69

-12.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$24.13 $24.13

36.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$0.96 $0.96

39.58%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.7K $24.7K

13.82%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.1K $25.1K

-21.71%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$176 $176

-56.91%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$54.3 $54.3

-37.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$71.2 $71.2

-40.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$69.0 $69.0

-56.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$19.74 $19.74

2.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$15.97 $15.97

-30.18%

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

$507 CA$717

$1,370 $1,370

-62.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$36.1K $36.1K

-55.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$58.4 $58.4

-1.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$44.68 $44.68

-15.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$90.1 $90.1

1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$105 $105

4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,005 $1,005

25.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$822 $822

15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,860 $1,860

14.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,505 $1,505

7.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,432 $2,432

103.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$2,185 $2,185

75.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,597 $3,597

-21.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.41

-30.11%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ames, IA: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Ames, IA

$822 38.4% 13.2% $125

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Ames, IA

$436 20.4% 26% $90

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Ames, IA

$293 13.7% 1.9% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Ames, IA

$302 14.1% 98.3% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Ames, IA

$134 6.3% 0.4% $0.5

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Ames, IA

$53 2.5% 46.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Ames, IA

$101 4.7% 93.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $1,005 in Ames, IA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ames, IA pays 27% 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 $52.0 in Ames, IA. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $436, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Ames, IA

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

66,427

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montreal Ames, IA 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Ames, IA

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 Ames, IA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Ames, IA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Ames, IA. 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 $1,005 in Ames, IA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 117% less than in Ames, IA. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $1,370 in Ames, IA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,142 in Ames, IA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Ames, IA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Ames, IA 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 6% less than in Ames, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.