Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cambridge Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,240 in Cambridge Bay, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge Bay
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Cambridge Bay Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Cambridge Bay

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,240

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cambridge Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,240 in Cambridge Bay.

Montreal $2,059
Cambridge Bay $2,240

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,270 in Cambridge Bay.

Montreal $3,123
Cambridge Bay $3,270

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,301 in Cambridge Bay.

Montreal $4,187
Cambridge Bay $4,301

Living in Montreal costs roughly 8% less than in Cambridge Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Cambridge Bay 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$21.83 CA$30.86

-13.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$64.1 CA$90.6

14.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.64 CA$15.04

-0.94%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.50 CA$4.95

13.43%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.95 CA$2.75

-0.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.62 CA$2.29

-3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.23 CA$7.40

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.76 CA$8.14

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.99 CA$2.81

16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.54 CA$3.58

25.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.31 CA$4.67

-3.63%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.48 CA$4.91

5.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$9.89 CA$13.98

33.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.50 CA$16.26

1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.36 CA$20.31

-2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.83 CA$5.41

-18.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.29 CA$1.82

12.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.72 CA$5.26

-9.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.81 CA$5.39

-18.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.48 CA$3.51

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.22 CA$3.14

-17.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.46 CA$3.48

-4.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.63 CA$2.31

-7.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.11 CA$19.94

-21.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$12.43 CA$17.57

-14.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.57 CA$3.63

-13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.06 CA$4.33

-7.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.31 CA$3.27

13.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$60.5 CA$85.5

30.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.94 CA$4.15

9.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$23.04 CA$32.56

39.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.13 CA$1.59

20.35%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$28.2K CA$39.9K

-2.05%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$19.0K CA$26.9K

11.39%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$132 CA$187

-41.70%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$37.89 CA$53.6

-9.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$53.9 CA$76.2

-21.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$40.59 CA$57.4

-24.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$17.98 CA$25.41

9.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$11.15 CA$15.76

2.87%

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

$506 CA$716

$746 CA$1,054

-32.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$13.1K CA$18.5K

23.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$53.1 CA$75.0

7.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$37.83 CA$53.5

0.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$85.5 CA$121

7.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$103 CA$145

6.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,257 CA$1,777

-1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,098 CA$1,552

-11.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,947 CA$2,753

11.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,718 CA$2,429

-6.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,128 CA$5,836

23.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,532 CA$4,993

6.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.66

-3.86%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cambridge Bay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Cambridge Bay

$1.1K 49% 12.4% $121

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Cambridge Bay

$349 15.6% 0.7% $2.5

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Cambridge Bay

$301 13.4% 3.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Cambridge Bay

$224 10% 46% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Cambridge Bay

$126 5.6% 6.1% $8.1

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Cambridge Bay

$80 3.6% 20.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Cambridge Bay

$63 2.8% 17% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,257 in Cambridge Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $64.0 in Cambridge Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $349 per month, with Cambridge Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Cambridge Bay

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,800

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montreal Cambridge Bay 3,160 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cambridge Bay

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 Cambridge Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Cambridge Bay differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $2,240 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $3,359 in Cambridge Bay 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: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,257 in Cambridge Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,059 per month in Montreal versus $2,240 in Cambridge Bay – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 31% less than in Cambridge Bay. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,240 in Cambridge Bay, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Cambridge Bay. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Cambridge Bay 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 9% less than in Cambridge Bay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.