Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Aruba

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,067 a month against $2,337 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,337

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Aruba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Montreal versus $2,337 in Aruba.

Montreal $2,067
Aruba $2,337

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,179 in Montreal versus $4,224 in Aruba.

Montreal $3,179
Aruba $4,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,291 in Montreal versus $6,112 in Aruba.

Montreal $4,291
Aruba $6,112

Living in Montreal costs roughly 12% less than in Aruba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 53% above, Aruba 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$10.93 AWG 19.56

72.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$91.7 AWG 164

-20.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$10.64 AWG 19.04

1.41%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$5.13 AWG 9.17

-22.42%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$2.36 AWG 4.22

-14.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$3.42 AWG 6.13

-52.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$5.27 AWG 9.43

19.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$6.86 AWG 12.27

2.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$1.64 AWG 2.93

42.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$2.85 AWG 5.11

14.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$3.03 AWG 5.43

7.59%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$3.88 AWG 6.95

-10.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$14.16 AWG 25.35

-3.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$4.07 AWG 7.29

182.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.05 AWG 3.66

-28.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.51 AWG 4.49

3.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$2.40 AWG 4.29

-43.33%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

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

$77.6 CA$109

$242 AWG 434

-67.98%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$134 AWG 239

-73.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$84.9 AWG 152

-48.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

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

$522 CA$732

$302 AWG 541

72.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$17.8K AWG 31.8K

0.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$65.2 AWG 117

-40.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$122 AWG 218

-18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

$659 AWG 1,179

97.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

$1,389 AWG 2,487

-30.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

$3,139 AWG 5,618

-25.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

$4,017 AWG 7,189

-57.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

$1,905 AWG 3,409

54.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Aruba: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Aruba

–

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Aruba

–

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Aruba

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Aruba

–

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Aruba

–

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Aruba

–

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Aruba

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,298 in Montreal and $659 in Aruba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 54% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $92 in Aruba. Groceries flip the comparison at $357 vs $148, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇼 Aruba

🕒 Local time

06:03 6:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

15,236

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Montreal Aruba 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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Aruba

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 Aruba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,067 in Montreal and $2,337 in Aruba, so Montreal is about 12% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 54% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,298 in Montreal versus $659 in Aruba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 59% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $2,067 per month in Montreal versus $2,337 in Aruba – Montreal is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Aruba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.