Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Burnaby

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,678 in Burnaby, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Burnaby
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Burnaby Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Burnaby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Burnaby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,678 in Burnaby.

Montreal $2,064
Burnaby $2,678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,827 in Burnaby.

Montreal $3,156
Burnaby $3,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $4,976 in Burnaby.

Montreal $4,247
Burnaby $4,976

Living in Montreal costs roughly 23% less than in Burnaby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Burnaby 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$21.23 CA$29.79

-10.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$86.5 CA$121

-15.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$9.53 CA$13.37

14.17%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$4.67 CA$6.56

-18.42%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.45 CA$3.44

-20.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.80 CA$2.52

-12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$8.57 CA$12.03

-25.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$6.18 CA$8.67

17.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.34 CA$3.28

-4.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.76 CA$3.88

14.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$3.52 CA$4.95

-5.97%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$3.17 CA$4.45

14.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$14.05 CA$19.72

-6.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$14.07 CA$19.75

-17.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$25.31 CA$35.52

-45.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$4.42 CA$6.20

-25.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.28 CA$1.80

14.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$4.61 CA$6.47

-26.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$4.61 CA$6.48

-31.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$2.81 CA$3.95

-32.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$3.54 CA$4.96

-49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$2.74 CA$3.84

-9.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$2.10 CA$2.95

-24.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$14.23 CA$19.96

-20.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$13.39 CA$18.79

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.05 CA$2.88

14.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$2.33 CA$3.27

24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.54 CA$3.56

2.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$81.6 CA$115

-3.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$2.88 CA$4.04

13.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.51 CA$2.12

-4.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$26.45 CA$37.12

26.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.37 CA$1.92

-2.92%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$28.5K CA$40.1K

0.31%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$20.9K CA$29.4K

0.74%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$126 CA$177

-36.59%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$44.96 CA$63.1

-23.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$52.7 CA$74.0

-18.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$31.23 CA$43.83

-0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

$10.52 CA$14.77

84.51%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$14.23 CA$19.97

-21.08%

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

$525 CA$737

$649 CA$910

-19.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$52.2 CA$73.3

11.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$51.4 CA$72.1

-25.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$103 CA$145

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$79.0 CA$111

39.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$1,693 CA$2,376

-24.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$1,406 CA$1,973

-30.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$2,623 CA$3,681

-13.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$1,985 CA$2,786

-16.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

$6,886 CA$9,663

-25.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

$5,338 CA$7,491

-28.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$3,149 CA$4,419

-4.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.76

-5.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burnaby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Burnaby

$1.4K 52.5% 44% $429

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Burnaby

$431 16.1% 22.7% $80

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Burnaby

$327 12.2% 12.4% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Burnaby

$224 8.4% 42.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Burnaby

$129 4.8% 4.5% $6.1

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Burnaby

$102 3.8% 2.2% $2.2

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Burnaby

$60 2.2% 11.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnaby pays 5% 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 in Montreal vs $87 in Burnaby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $431 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Burnaby

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

249,125

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Burnaby 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Burnaby

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 Burnaby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,064 in Montreal and $2,678 in Burnaby, so Montreal is about 23% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Montreal. 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: $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,693 in Burnaby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Montreal versus $649 in Burnaby. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Burnaby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Montreal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Burnaby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.