Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Chatham

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,947 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Chatham

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,947 in Chatham, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Chatham $2,947

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $4,017 in Chatham, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Chatham $4,017

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $5,088 in Chatham, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Chatham $5,088

Montreal is about 30% cheaper than Chatham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Montreal and Chatham sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Chatham by 118%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$13.40 £10.05

40.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$94.9 £71.2

-22.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$9.85 £7.39

7.01%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.75 £2.82

5.87%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.95 £2.21

-34.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.68 £1.26

-6.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.38 £4.78

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.83 £5.12

5.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.90 £1.43

22.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.10 £1.57

51.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.10 £1.58

51.90%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.09 £3.07

-10.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$10.74 £8.06

23.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$9.29 £6.97

25.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$15.54 £11.66

-10.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.10 £2.33

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.92 £1.44

-24.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$2.71 £2.03

24.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.67 £2.75

-15.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.01 £1.51

-3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.82 £1.37

0.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.15 £0.86

105.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.71 £1.28

-12.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$21.64 £16.24

-48.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$10.94 £8.21

-3.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$3.06 £2.29

-27.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.37 £1.78

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$4.04 £3.03

-35.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$114 £85.6

-30.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$5.10 £3.83

-36.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$2.58 £1.94

-42.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$20.18 £15.14

59.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$2.09 £1.56

-34.93%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$38.9K £29.2K

-28.94%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$37.1K £27.8K

-42.85%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$287 £215

-73.16%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$16.80 £12.61

103.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$26.54 £19.91

58.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$114 £85.8

-73.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$9.37 £7.03

109.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$17.40 £13.05

-34.08%

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

$506 CA$716

$2,080 £1,561

-75.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$30.4K £22.8K

-46.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$91.6 £68.7

-37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$45.69 £34.28

-16.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$105 £78.4

-12.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$91.5 £68.6

20.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$2,050 £1,538

-39.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,601 £1,201

-38.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,430 £1,823

-10.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,090 £1,568

-23.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$7,877 £5,909

-35.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$7,449 £5,588

-49.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$2,972 £2,230

-0.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.12

-12.50%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chatham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Chatham

$1.6K 54.3% 63.9% $624

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Chatham

$323 11% 8% $28

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Chatham

$246 8.3% 15.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Chatham

$330 11.2% 115% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Chatham

$150 5.1% 12.2% $16

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Chatham

$148 5% 47.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Chatham

$149 5.1% 177% $95

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $2,050 in Chatham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Chatham, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal versus $95.0 in Chatham. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $323 in Chatham – so Chatham wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇬🇧 Chatham

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

00:51 12:51 AM

5 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

76,792

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Chatham 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Chatham

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 Chatham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $4,421 in Chatham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,059 in Montreal and $2,947 in Chatham. That's a gap of about 43%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Chatham at $2,947. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chatham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,947 in Chatham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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