Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barcelona outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Montreal $2,064
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Montreal $3,156
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Montreal $4,247
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Montreal costs roughly 16% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$17.59 €15.76

7.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$67.5 €60.5

8.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$13.53 €12.12

-19.59%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$3.19 €2.86

19.44%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.91 €2.61

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.89 €1.70

-16.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$4.01 €3.59

58.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$4.53 €4.06

60.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.31 €1.17

70.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.02 €1.81

56.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$1.85 €1.66

78.92%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$4.83 €4.33

-24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$16.74 €15.00

-21.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$9.12 €8.17

26.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$19.64 €17.60

-30.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$2.98 €2.67

10.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.02 €1.81

-27.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$2.70 €2.42

24.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$2.80 €2.51

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.09 €1.87

-9.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.07 €1.85

-13.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.46 €1.31

69.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$0.94 €0.84

68.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$6.87 €6.16

64.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$7.89 €7.07

32.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$1.41 €1.26

65.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.54 €2.27

14.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$3.14 €2.82

-16.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$25.45 €22.80

210.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.99 €2.68

9.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.49 €1.34

-3.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$33.37 €29.91

0.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.80 €1.61

-26.11%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$33.2K €29.7K

-13.74%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$31.7K €28.4K

-33.44%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$180 €162

-55.62%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$13.84 €12.40

147.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$33.70 €30.20

27.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$51.5 €46.16

-39.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$15.96 €14.30

21.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$10.99 €9.85

2.18%

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

$525 CA$734

$917 €821

-42.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$16.5K €14.8K

-0.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$87.0 €78.0

-33.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$38.51 €34.51

-1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$106 €94.8

-11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$120 €107

-7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$1,699 €1,523

-24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$1,355 €1,214

-27.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$2,603 €2,332

-12.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$2,062 €1,848

-19.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$6,915 €6,196

-25.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

$5,128 €4,595

-25.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$2,211 €1,981

35.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.28

36.59%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 38.8% $379

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 8.4% $29

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 7.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 45% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 17.1% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 51.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 37.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 36% 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 $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $322 per month, with Barcelona cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

5 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Barcelona 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,064 in Montreal and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Montreal is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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: $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Montreal versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Barcelona pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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