Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Arviat

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,200 in Arviat, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Arviat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Arviat
Learn more

Arviat Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Arviat

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Arviat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,200 in Arviat.

Montreal $2,059
Arviat $2,200

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,190 in Arviat.

Montreal $3,123
Arviat $3,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,180 in Arviat.

Montreal $4,187
Arviat $4,180

Living in Montreal costs roughly 6% less than in Arviat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Arviat 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.16 CA$24.25

9.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$64.5 CA$91.2

13.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.37 CA$14.66

1.64%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.69 CA$5.22

7.59%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.02 CA$2.86

-3.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.56 CA$2.21

0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.17 CA$7.31

24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.76 CA$8.15

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.01 CA$2.85

15.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.42 CA$3.42

31.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.28 CA$4.64

-2.74%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.34 CA$4.72

10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$9.60 CA$13.57

37.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.40 CA$16.12

2.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.37 CA$20.32

-2.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.65 CA$5.16

-13.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.27 CA$1.79

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.58 CA$5.06

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.65 CA$5.16

-14.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.50 CA$3.53

-22.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.23 CA$3.16

-17.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.46 CA$3.48

-4.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.57 CA$2.22

-4.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.23 CA$20.12

-21.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$12.45 CA$17.60

-14.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.55 CA$3.61

-12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.98 CA$4.21

-4.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.34 CA$3.31

11.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$62.4 CA$88.3

26.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.95 CA$4.17

9.49%

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

$22.51 CA$31.82

43.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.13 CA$1.60

20.35%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.4K CA$38.8K

0.81%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$18.7K CA$26.4K

13.37%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$132 CA$186

-41.58%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$38.55 CA$54.5

-11.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$54.2 CA$76.6

-22.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$39.67 CA$56.1

-22.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$17.88 CA$25.27

9.96%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$11.15 CA$15.77

2.87%

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

$506 CA$716

$734 CA$1,037

-31.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$12.9K CA$18.2K

25.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$51.8 CA$73.3

10.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$38.19 CA$54.0

-0.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$83.2 CA$118

10.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$101 CA$143

8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,261 CA$1,783

-1.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,101 CA$1,557

-11.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,962 CA$2,774

11.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,692 CA$2,391

-4.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,168 CA$5,892

22.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,518 CA$4,974

6.43%

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 Arviat: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Arviat

$1.1K 50.1% 12.8% $125

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Arviat

$342 15.6% 2.4% $8.6

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Arviat

$264 12% 9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Arviat

$225 10.2% 46.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Arviat

$124 5.6% 7.6% $10

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Arviat

$82 3.7% 18.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Arviat

$62 2.8% 15.3% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,261 in Arviat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $65.0 in Arviat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $342 per month, with Arviat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Arviat

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

08:28 8:28 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

2,800

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Arviat 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Arviat

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 Arviat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Arviat differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $2,200 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $3,300 in Arviat to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,261 in Arviat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $734 in Arviat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Arviat pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,200 in Arviat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Arviat. 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 Arviat 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 7% less than in Arviat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.