Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Chester, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,629 in Chester, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Chester, CA
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Chester, CA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Chester, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Chester, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,629 in Chester, CA.

Montreal $2,059
Chester, CA $2,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,789 in Chester, CA.

Montreal $3,123
Chester, CA $3,789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,949 in Chester, CA.

Montreal $4,187
Chester, CA $4,949

Living in Montreal costs roughly 22% less than in Chester, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Chester, CA 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$15.13 $15.13

24.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$56.1 $56.1

30.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$12.61 $12.61

-16.42%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.06 $5.06

-21.54%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.94 $1.94

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.46 $1.46

7.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$4.99 $4.99

28.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.45 $6.45

11.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.23 $1.23

88.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$4.19 $4.19

-23.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.62 $4.62

-30.95%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$5.67 $5.67

-35.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$14.96 $14.96

-11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$14.97 $14.97

-21.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$17.94 $17.94

-22.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.05 $5.05

-37.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.94 $1.94

-25.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.30 $4.30

-21.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$5.74 $5.74

-45.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.86 $3.86

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.34 $3.34

-45.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.50 $2.50

-5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.70 $2.70

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$9.06 $9.06

22.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$13.92 $13.92

-23.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.58 $2.58

-13.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.52 $3.52

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.28 $2.28

14.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$4.11 $4.11

-21.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.93 $1.93

-23.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$24.76 $24.76

30.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.41 $1.41

-3.55%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$35.2K $35.2K

-21.54%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$27.2K $27.2K

-22.14%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$227 $227

-66.10%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$60.6 $60.6

-43.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$69.3 $69.3

-39.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$35.63 $35.63

-13.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$17.07 $17.07

-32.81%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,537 $1,537

-67.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$19.0K $19.0K

-14.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$61.7 $61.7

-7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$46.31 $46.31

-17.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$94.4 $94.4

-2.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$126 $126

-13.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,604 $1,604

-22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,300 $1,300

-24.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,499 $2,499

-12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,130 $2,130

-24.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,448 $2,448

108.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,699 $2,699

38.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.5

-31.08%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chester, CA: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Chester, CA

$1.3K 49.5% 33.1% $323

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Chester, CA

$460 17.5% 31.1% $109

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Chester, CA

$271 10.3% 6.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Chester, CA

$357 13.6% 133% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Chester, CA

$148 5.6% 10.7% $14

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Chester, CA

$23 * 0.9% 77.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Chester, CA

$70 2.7% 29.8% $16

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 $1,237 in Montreal and $1,604 in Chester, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $56.0 in Chester, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $460, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Chester, CA

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

36,801

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Montreal Chester, CA 3,870 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Chester, CA

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 Chester, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Chester, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $3,944 in Chester, CA 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 $1,604 in Chester, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Chester, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,059 per month in Montreal versus $2,629 in Chester, CA – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,629 in Chester, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Chester, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Chester, CA 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 28% less than in Chester, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.