Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Brea, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $3,716 in Brea, CA, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 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
180

Cost of Living Index in Brea, CA
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Brea, CA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Brea, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Brea, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $3,716 in Brea, CA.

Montreal $2,059
Brea, CA $3,716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $5,124 in Brea, CA.

Montreal $3,123
Brea, CA $5,124

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $6,532 in Brea, CA.

Montreal $4,187
Brea, CA $6,532

Living in Montreal costs roughly 45% less than in Brea, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Brea, CA 174% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$25.18 $25.18

-25.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$78.5 $78.5

-6.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$12.18 $12.18

-13.46%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.59 $5.59

-28.98%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.69 $2.69

-27.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.98 $1.98

-20.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$7.34 $7.34

-12.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$9.46 $9.46

-23.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.18 $1.18

96.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$5.29 $5.29

-39.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.41 $4.41

-27.66%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.86 $4.86

-24.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$15.38 $15.38

-13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$8.87 $8.87

31.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$13.91 $13.91

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.66 $4.66

-32.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.80 $1.80

-19.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.30 $4.30

-21.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$5.77 $5.77

-46.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.61 $3.61

-46.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.07 $3.07

-40.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.14 $2.14

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.18 $2.18

-31.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$11.95 $11.95

-6.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$15.14 $15.14

-29.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.77 $1.77

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.21 $3.21

-11.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$4.58 $4.58

-29.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.81 $1.81

-18.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$36.28 $36.28

-11.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.57 $1.57

-13.38%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.8K $27.8K

-0.50%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$26.0K $26.0K

-18.55%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$218 $218

-64.63%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$70.8 $70.8

-51.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$69.1 $69.1

-38.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$30.08 $30.08

2.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$20.02 $20.02

-1.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$19.98 $19.98

-42.59%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,162 $1,162

-56.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$42.8K $42.8K

-62.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$62.2 $62.2

-7.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$41.12 $41.12

-7.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$80.9 $80.9

13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$104 $104

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$2,241 $2,241

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$2,354 $2,354

-58.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$3,133 $3,133

-30.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$3,521 $3,521

-54.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$5,884 $5,884

-13.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$6,172 $6,172

-39.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$9,939 $9,939

-70.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.31

-29.00%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Brea, CA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Brea, CA

$2.4K 63.4% 141% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Brea, CA

$411 11.1% 17.2% $60

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Brea, CA

$379 10.2% 30.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Brea, CA

$358 9.6% 133% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Brea, CA

$130 3.5% 2.9% $3.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Brea, CA

$14 * 0.4% 86.4% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Brea, CA

$70 1.9% 30.3% $16

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 $1,237 in Montreal and $2,241 in Brea, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brea, CA pays 236% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $79.0 in Brea, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $411 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Brea, CA

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

38,585

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Brea, CA 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Brea, CA

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 Brea, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Brea, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 236% lower in Brea, CA. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $2,241 in Brea, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $1,162 in Brea, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $79.0 in Brea, CA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $3,716 in Brea, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Brea, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Brea, CA 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 80% less than in Brea, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.