Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Chilliwack

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,320 in Chilliwack, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Chilliwack
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Chilliwack Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Chilliwack

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Chilliwack

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,320 in Chilliwack.

Montreal $2,059
Chilliwack $2,320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,412 in Chilliwack.

Montreal $3,123
Chilliwack $3,412

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,504 in Chilliwack.

Montreal $4,187
Chilliwack $4,504

Living in Montreal costs roughly 11% less than in Chilliwack, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Chilliwack 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$14.02 CA$19.82

34.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$52.6 CA$74.3

39.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$8.69 CA$12.29

21.29%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.41 CA$6.23

-9.98%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.95 CA$2.75

-0.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.49 CA$2.11

5.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$4.95 CA$7.00

29.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.54 CA$7.83

29.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.09 CA$2.96

11.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.98 CA$4.22

7.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.46 CA$6.30

-28.48%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.22 CA$5.96

-12.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$20.66 CA$29.21

-35.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$14.06 CA$19.87

-16.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$20.16 CA$28.51

-30.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.63 CA$7.97

-44.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.33 CA$1.88

9.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.14 CA$5.86

-18.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$5.43 CA$7.67

-42.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$4.78 CA$6.76

-59.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.11 CA$4.39

-41.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$3.17 CA$4.49

-25.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.47 CA$3.49

-39.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$11.94 CA$16.87

-6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$14.04 CA$19.85

-24.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$4.54 CA$6.42

-51.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$5.03 CA$7.11

-43.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.00 CA$2.83

31.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$33.16 CA$46.87

138.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.95 CA$4.17

9.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$2.33 CA$3.29

-36.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.25 CA$1.76

8.80%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.2K CA$38.4K

1.79%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$19.9K CA$28.1K

6.56%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$166 CA$234

-53.51%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$54.4 CA$76.9

-37.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$70.1 CA$99.1

-39.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$41.17 CA$58.2

-25.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$17.82 CA$25.19

10.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$12.14 CA$17.16

-5.52%

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

$506 CA$716

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$11.9K CA$16.8K

36.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$60.2 CA$85.2

-4.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$31.87 CA$45.05

19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$103 CA$145

-10.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$211 CA$298

-47.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,136 CA$1,605

8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,004 CA$1,419

-2.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,042 CA$2,886

6.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,646 CA$2,326

-2.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$3,321 CA$4,695

53.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,333 CA$4,711

12.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,075 CA$4,348

-3.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.71

-4.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chilliwack: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Chilliwack

$1K 43.3% 2.8% $27

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Chilliwack

$482 20.8% 37.2% $131

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Chilliwack

$241 10.4% 17.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Chilliwack

$290 12.5% 89.2% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Chilliwack

$183 7.9% 36.6% $49

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Chilliwack

$56 2.4% 44.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Chilliwack

$65 2.8% 21.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,136 in Chilliwack. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chilliwack pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $53.0 in Chilliwack. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $482, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Chilliwack

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

83,788

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Montreal Chilliwack 3,610 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Montreal vs Chilliwack: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Chilliwack. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Chilliwack. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,136 in Chilliwack. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $53.0 in Chilliwack. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 139% less than in Chilliwack. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,320 in Chilliwack, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Chilliwack. 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 Chilliwack 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 13% less than in Chilliwack. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.