Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Batavia, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,260 in Batavia, IL, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Batavia, IL outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Batavia, IL
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Batavia, IL Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Batavia, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Batavia, IL

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,260 in Batavia, IL, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Batavia, IL $2,260

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,570 in Batavia, IL, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Batavia, IL $3,570

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,881 in Batavia, IL, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Batavia, IL $4,881

Montreal is about 9% cheaper than Batavia, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Batavia, IL sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Batavia, IL by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$15.42 $15.42

22.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$70.4 $70.4

4.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$12.73 $12.73

-17.20%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.89 $5.89

-32.60%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$3.07 $3.07

-36.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.25 $2.25

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.87 $6.87

-6.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$8.68 $8.68

-17.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.83 $0.83

179.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.76 $2.76

15.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.92 $2.92

9.25%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.61 $3.61

1.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$7.78 $7.78

70.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.46 $11.46

2.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$10.32 $10.32

35.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.73 $4.73

-33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.57 $1.57

-7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.43 $3.43

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.96 $4.96

-37.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.76 $1.76

9.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.96 $2.96

-38.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.63 $1.63

44.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.43 $2.43

-38.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$10.83 $10.83

2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$8.19 $8.19

29.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.71 $1.71

29.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$4.55 $4.55

-37.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.84 $1.84

42.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.94 $3.94

-18.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.99 $1.99

-25.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$43.91 $43.91

-26.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.03 $1.03

32.04%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$24.6K $24.6K

12.25%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$26.0K $26.0K

-18.53%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$172 $172

-55.33%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$51.0 $51.0

-33.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$51.6 $51.6

-18.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$36.45 $36.45

-15.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$11.85 $11.85

-3.21%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,472 $1,472

-65.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$23.1K $23.1K

-29.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$57.6 $57.6

-0.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$50.0 $50.0

-23.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$87.9 $87.9

4.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$124 $124

-11.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,600 $1,600

-22.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,128 $1,128

-13.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,619 $2,619

-16.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,361 $2,361

-31.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,917 $2,917

75.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,563 $2,563

46.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$1,961 $1,961

50.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.43

-30.33%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Batavia, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Batavia, IL

$1.1K 49.9% 15.5% $152

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Batavia, IL

$326 14.4% 7.1% $25

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Batavia, IL

$305 13.5% 5.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Batavia, IL

$275 12.2% 79.3% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Batavia, IL

$144 6.4% 7.6% $10

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Batavia, IL

$21 * 0.9% 78.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Batavia, IL

$60 2.7% 11.9% $6.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,600 in Batavia, IL. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Montreal, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal versus $70.0 in Batavia, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $326 – making Batavia, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Batavia, IL

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

15,600

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Batavia, IL 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Batavia, IL

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 Batavia, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Batavia, IL is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,390 in Batavia, IL. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $70.0 in Batavia, IL. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Batavia, IL – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Batavia, IL at $2,260. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Batavia, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Batavia, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.