Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Banos

For one person, living is cheaper in Banos: $819 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Banos
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Banos Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Banos

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Banos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $819 in Banos.

Montreal $2,064
Banos $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $1,260 in Banos.

Montreal $3,156
Banos $1,260

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $1,701 in Banos.

Montreal $4,247
Banos $1,701

Living in Montreal is roughly 152% more expensive than in Banos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 52% above, Banos is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$2.78 $2.78

582.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$30.08 $30.08

142.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$5.02 $5.02

116.73%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$2.60 $2.60

46.54%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$0.92 $0.92

110.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$0.73 $0.73

116.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$2.99 $2.99

113.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$2.02 $2.02

259.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$1.05 $1.05

112.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$1.99 $1.99

59.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$0.86 $0.86

284.88%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$1.49 $1.49

143.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$7.04 $7.04

86.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$5.04 $5.04

129.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$5.85 $5.85

134.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$1.49 $1.49

120.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$0.49 $0.49

197.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$1.02 $1.02

230.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$0.95 $0.95

231.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$0.51 $0.51

270.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$0.91 $0.91

96.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$0.51 $0.51

384.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.02 $1.02

54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$5.83 $5.83

93.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$11.80 $11.80

-11.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$1.55 $1.55

50.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$2.15 $2.15

35.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$0.36 $0.36

625.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$1.27 $1.27

156.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.23 $1.23

17.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$11.90 $11.90

180.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$0.87 $0.87

52.87%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$23.1K $23.1K

23.95%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$30.6K $30.6K

-31.08%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$33.82 $33.82

136.72%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$14.62 $14.62

134.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$25.86 $25.86

65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$29.84 $29.84

4.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

$14.62 $14.62

32.76%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$7.28 $7.28

54.26%

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

$525 CA$737

$369 $369

42.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$5,777 $5,777

182.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$64.8 $64.8

-10.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$39.86 $39.86

-4.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$127 $127

-26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$91.7 $91.7

20.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$440 $440

191.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$275 $275

254.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$705 $705

222.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$448 $448

271.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.05

-55.42%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Banos: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Banos

$275 33.6% 71.8% $701

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Banos

$176 21.5% 49.8% $175

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Banos

$94 11.5% 67.6% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Banos

$74 9.1% 52.7% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Banos

$146 17.8% 8% $11

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Banos

$8.9 * 1.1% 91.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Banos

$44 5.4% 17.2% $9.2

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 $1,285 in Montreal and $440 in Banos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $30 in Banos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $176 per month, with Banos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇪🇨 Banos

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

9,501

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Banos 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Banos

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 Banos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banos wins on cost – living expenses run 60% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Banos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,096 in Montreal and $1,228 in Banos 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: $1,285 in Montreal versus $440 in Banos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Montreal versus $369 in Banos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Banos – a meal for two runs $30 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Banos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Banos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Banos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.