Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Barrie

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,524 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Barrie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,524 in Barrie.

Montreal $2,064
Barrie $2,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,461 in Barrie.

Montreal $3,156
Barrie $3,461

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $4,399 in Barrie.

Montreal $4,247
Barrie $4,399

Living in Montreal costs roughly 18% less than in Barrie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Barrie 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.53

$14.47 CA$20.22

31.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$56.1 CA$78.4

30.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.21

$11.27 CA$15.75

-3.46%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.75 CA$5.24

1.60%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.91 CA$2.67

1.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.44 CA$2.01

9.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$4.92 CA$6.87

29.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$5.62 CA$7.85

29.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.08 CA$2.90

7.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.45 CA$3.43

29.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$2.69 CA$3.76

23.05%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.12 CA$4.36

16.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.39

$10.00 CA$13.98

31.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.16

$14.19 CA$19.83

-18.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.17

$22.64 CA$31.64

-39.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.98 CA$5.57

-17.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.19 CA$1.66

22.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$3.18 CA$4.44

5.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.86 CA$5.39

-18.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$1.11 CA$1.56

70.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.37 CA$1.91

30.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.09 CA$2.93

18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.63 CA$2.27

-3.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$11.46 CA$16.02

-1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.67

$10.20 CA$14.26

2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.53 CA$3.53

-7.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.16 CA$3.02

34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.45 CA$3.42

6.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$63.6 CA$88.9

24.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$3.64 CA$5.09

-10.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.05 CA$1.46

37.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.73

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.14 CA$1.59

16.67%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$26.0K CA$36.3K

10.11%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$23.0K CA$32.1K

-8.24%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$234 CA$327

-65.78%

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

$34.30 CA$47.94

$35.10 CA$49.06

-2.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$77.8 CA$109

-44.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.53

$30.88 CA$43.17

0.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.12

$35.49 CA$49.60

-45.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$12.70 CA$17.74

-11.57%

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

$525 CA$734

$1,434 CA$2,005

-63.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$63.0 CA$88.1

-7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$45.09 CA$63.0

-15.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$150 CA$210

-37.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$85.8 CA$120

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,796

$1,459 CA$2,039

-11.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,365

$1,272 CA$1,778

-23.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,174

$2,034 CA$2,843

11.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,327

$1,731 CA$2,420

-3.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,183

$5,201 CA$7,270

-1.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,359

$4,101 CA$5,732

-6.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,196

$3,071 CA$4,292

-2.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.68

-4.27%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Barrie: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Barrie

$1.3K 50.4% 30.2% $295

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Barrie

$368 14.6% 4.7% $17

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Barrie

$244 9.7% 16.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Barrie

$347 13.7% 121% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Barrie

$155 6.1% 14.9% $20

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Barrie

$82 3.3% 17.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Barrie

$56 2.2% 5% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,459 in Barrie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $56 in Barrie. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $368, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Barrie

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

141,434

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Montreal Barrie 500 km

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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 Barrie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,064 in Montreal and $2,524 in Barrie, so Montreal is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,096 in Montreal and $3,786 in Barrie 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 $1,459 in Barrie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Barrie runs roughly 20% less than in Montreal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $525 in Montreal versus $1,434 in Barrie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.