Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Castries

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,441 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Castries

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Montreal vs $1,441 in Castries, rent included.

Montreal $2,067
Castries $1,441

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Montreal vs $2,376 in Castries, rent included.

Montreal $3,179
Castries $2,376

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Montreal vs $3,310 in Castries, rent included.

Montreal $4,291
Castries $3,310

Montreal costs about 43% more than Castries, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Castries sit above the global median – Montreal by 53%, Castries by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$9.42 EC$25.45

100.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$73.9 EC$200

-1.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$8.47 EC$22.86

27.39%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$3.66 EC$9.89

8.74%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.96 EC$5.30

3.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$0.92 EC$2.49

77.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$2.77 EC$7.47

128.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$3.39 EC$9.17

108.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.06 EC$5.57

13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$1.87 EC$5.06

73.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$1.67 EC$4.51

95.21%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$5.04 EC$13.61

-30.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$11.38 EC$30.72

20.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$9.06 EC$24.46

26.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$14.93 EC$40.31

-4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$8.67 EC$23.40

-59.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.63 EC$4.40

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$8.38 EC$22.64

-59.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$14.78 EC$39.90

-78.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.38 EC$9.12

-42.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$1.99 EC$5.39

-10.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$2.24 EC$6.05

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.33 EC$3.60

18.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

$9.41 EC$25.40

22.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$11.14 EC$30.07

-5.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$2.20 EC$5.93

6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$5.61 EC$15.14

-48.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$1.14 EC$3.07

128.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$9.37 EC$25.29

-66.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.57 EC$4.25

-13.38%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

$25.7K EC$69.5K

8.88%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$36.6K EC$98.9K

-42.25%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$124 EC$334

-37.21%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$87.2 EC$235

-59.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$47.78 EC$129

-8.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

$41.45 EC$112

-27.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$5.64 EC$15.22

99.82%

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

$522 CA$732

$210 EC$566

148.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

$83.0 EC$224

-28.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$51.2 EC$138

-23.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$113 EC$304

-11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$113 EC$304

-2.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

$455 EC$1,229

185.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

$343 EC$925

183.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

$1,214 EC$3,279

91.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

$723 EC$1,951

133.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

$101 EC$272

4866.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

$65.0 EC$175

5652.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

$1,101 EC$2,973

167.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

7.75

-41.81%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Castries: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Castries

$343 23.8% 64.7% $628

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Castries

$434 30.1% 21.6% $77

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Castries

$177 12.3% 39.3% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Castries

$259 17.9% 64.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Castries

$162 11.2% 17% $23

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Castries

$14 * 1% 86% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Castries

$53 3.7% 0.2% $0.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,298 in Montreal versus $455 in Castries. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Montreal are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $74 in Castries. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $434 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇱🇨 Castries

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

22,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montreal Castries 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Castries

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 Castries: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 43% more than Castries, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,100 per month in Montreal and $2,162 in Castries. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castries, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $455 there versus $1,298 in Montreal.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,067 in Montreal and $1,441 in Castries. That makes Castries about 30% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,067 in Montreal and $1,441 in Castries. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Castries – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Castries. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.