Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Carolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,067 a month against $2,259 in Carolina, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Carolina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Carolina
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Carolina Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Carolina

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Carolina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Montreal versus $2,259 in Carolina.

Montreal $2,067
Carolina $2,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,179 in Montreal versus $3,120 in Carolina.

Montreal $3,179
Carolina $3,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,291 in Montreal versus $3,982 in Carolina.

Montreal $4,291
Carolina $3,982

Living in Montreal costs roughly 9% less than in Carolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 53% above, Carolina 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$13.23 $13.23

42.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$55.7 $55.7

30.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$9.90 $9.90

8.99%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$3.22 $3.22

23.60%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$3.05 $3.05

-33.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$1.78 $1.78

-8.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$3.06 $3.06

106.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$5.01 $5.01

40.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.09 $2.09

11.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$3.47 $3.47

-6.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$1.75 $1.75

86.29%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$4.53 $4.53

-23.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$7.15 $7.15

92.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$8.29 $8.29

38.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$12.48 $12.48

14.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$3.06 $3.06

15.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.47 $2.47

-40.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$2.54 $2.54

34.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$3.60 $3.60

-11.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.92 $2.92

-33.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$3.19 $3.19

-44.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$1.99 $1.99

26.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$2.01 $2.01

-21.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

$9.95 $9.95

15.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$17.66 $17.66

-40.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$2.97 $2.97

-20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$5.09 $5.09

-43.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.96 $2.96

-11.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

$39.65 $39.65

97.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

$49.68 $49.68

-32.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.19 $1.19

14.29%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

$39.2K $39.2K

-28.53%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$30.4K $30.4K

-30.36%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$590 $590

-86.85%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$51.0 $51.0

-30.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$80.0 $80.0

-45.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

$10.72 $10.72

180.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

$30.51 $30.51

-34.55%

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$8.19 $8.19

37.61%

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

$522 CA$732

$501 $501

4.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$9,668 $9,668

84.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

$90.6 $90.6

-34.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$25.06 $25.06

55.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$90.9 $90.9

9.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$90.3 $90.3

21.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

$1,063 $1,063

22.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

$760 $760

27.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

$1,932 $1,932

20.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

$1,218 $1,218

38.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

$3,516 $3,516

42.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

$2,283 $2,283

63.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

$2,035 $2,035

44.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

6.23

-27.61%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Carolina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Carolina

$760 33.6% 21.7% $210

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Carolina

$347 15.4% 2.9% $10

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Carolina

$219 9.7% 24.9% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Carolina

$721 31.9% 359% $564

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Carolina

$134 5.9% 3.4% $4.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Carolina

$51 * 2.3% 48.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Carolina

$27 1.2% 48.5% $26

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 $1,298 in Montreal and $1,063 in Carolina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 45% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $56 in Carolina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $347 per month, with Carolina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇷 Carolina

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

138,304

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Carolina 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Carolina

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 Carolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Carolina. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,298 in Montreal versus $1,063 in Carolina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Carolina pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Carolina – a meal for two runs $56 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.