Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cambridge, Canada

Name: Cambridge
Address: Cambridge, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,527 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cambridge outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cambridge

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,527 in Cambridge.

Montreal $2,064
Cambridge $2,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,443 in Cambridge.

Montreal $3,156
Cambridge $3,443

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $4,359 in Cambridge.

Montreal $4,247
Cambridge $4,359

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Cambridge 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.53

$17.69 CA$24.72

7.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$56.7 CA$79.2

28.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.21

$10.55 CA$14.74

3.13%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.56 CA$4.97

7.02%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.99 CA$2.78

-2.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.22 CA$1.71

29.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$5.19 CA$7.26

22.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$6.26 CA$8.75

15.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.99 CA$2.79

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.41 CA$3.37

31.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.19 CA$4.47

3.76%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.32 CA$4.64

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.39

$11.24 CA$15.71

17.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.16

$11.38 CA$15.90

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.17

$14.43 CA$20.17

-4.99%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$4.07 CA$5.68

-19.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.33 CA$1.86

9.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$4.05 CA$5.65

-16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.74 CA$5.22

-15.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.76 CA$3.85

-31.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.94 CA$2.71

-7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.00 CA$2.80

23.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.29 CA$1.81

22.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$12.93 CA$18.08

-12.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.67

$12.40 CA$17.34

-15.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.63 CA$3.67

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$4.04 CA$5.64

-27.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.80 CA$3.92

-6.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$69.4 CA$97.1

13.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.56 CA$3.58

27.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.80 CA$2.51

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.73

$23.32 CA$32.60

43.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.22 CA$1.71

9.02%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$26.5K CA$37.0K

8.05%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$20.7K CA$28.9K

2.02%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$152 CA$213

-47.45%

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

$34.30 CA$47.94

$42.51 CA$59.4

-19.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$50.5 CA$70.6

-15.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.53

$28.64 CA$40.03

8.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.12

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$10.74 CA$15.01

4.56%

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

$525 CA$734

$497 CA$695

5.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$15.8K CA$22.1K

3.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$63.5 CA$88.7

-8.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$33.07 CA$46.22

15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$82.3 CA$115

13.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$106 CA$148

4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,796

$1,529 CA$2,137

-15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,365

$1,395 CA$1,949

-29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,174

$2,057 CA$2,876

10.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,327

$1,870 CA$2,614

-10.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,183

$4,450 CA$6,220

15.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,359

$3,682 CA$5,147

4.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,196

$3,028 CA$4,232

-0.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.22

-14.18%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Cambridge

$1.4K 55.2% 42.8% $418

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Cambridge

$349 13.8% 0.6% $2.3

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Cambridge

$267 10.6% 8.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Cambridge

$245 9.7% 56.1% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Cambridge

$128 5.1% 5.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Cambridge

$92 3.7% 7.8% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Cambridge

$50 2% 6.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $57 in Cambridge for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $349 per month, with Cambridge cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

138,479

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cambridge 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cambridge

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,096 in Montreal and $3,790 in Cambridge 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 $1,529 in Cambridge. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cambridge runs roughly 12% less than in Montreal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,064 per month in Montreal versus $2,527 in Cambridge – Montreal is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.