Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cochrane

For one person, living is cheaper in Cochrane: $1,074 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Cochrane
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Cochrane Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Cochrane

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cochrane

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,074 in Cochrane.

Montreal $2,018
Cochrane $1,074

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,385 in Cochrane.

Montreal $3,085
Cochrane $2,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,696 in Cochrane.

Montreal $4,152
Cochrane $3,696

Living in Montreal is roughly 88% more expensive than in Cochrane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Cochrane is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$17.47 CA$24.70

7.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$70.2 CA$99.3

0.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.90 CA$14.00

7.68%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.82 CA$5.40

0.52%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.33 CA$3.29

-17.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.62 CA$2.29

-4.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$5.69 CA$8.04

9.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.72 CA$8.08

24.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.56 CA$2.20

48.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.07 CA$2.93

51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.98 CA$4.21

7.72%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.22 CA$4.55

9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.58 CA$12.13

49.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$8.42 CA$11.90

36.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$8.57 CA$12.12

56.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.29 CA$6.07

-26.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.37 CA$1.94

5.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.38 CA$6.19

-20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.43 CA$2.03

114.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.37 CA$1.94

38.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.43 CA$3.44

-3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.75 CA$2.48

-11.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$13.80 CA$19.51

-17.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$8.16 CA$11.54

30.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$3.08 CA$4.36

-26.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.96 CA$4.18

-4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$3.46 CA$4.89

-23.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.92 CA$4.13

9.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.38 CA$1.95

7.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$21.32 CA$30.15

54.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.06 CA$1.50

26.42%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

1.94%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$19.5K CA$27.6K

0.42%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$207 CA$292

-63.27%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$42.87 CA$60.6

-20.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$54.4 CA$76.9

-22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$44.82 CA$63.4

-33.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.90 CA$18.24

-13.57%

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

$507 CA$717

$752 CA$1,063

-32.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,571 CA$13.5K

67.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$42.60 CA$60.2

35.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$45.15 CA$63.8

-16.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$83.3 CA$118

10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$94.7 CA$134

15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,182 CA$1,671

6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,725 CA$2,438

23.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,344 CA$1,900

20.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$22.6K CA$31.9K

-78.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$4,061 CA$5,740

-30.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.32

3.70%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cochrane: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Cochrane

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Cochrane

$285 26.5% 17.7% $61

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Cochrane

$271 25.2% 5.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Cochrane

$304 28.3% 99.8% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Cochrane

$120 11.1% 10.4% $14

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Cochrane

$24 * 2.2% 76% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Cochrane

$71 6.6% 35.7% $19

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 $1,260 in Montreal and $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cochrane pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $70.0 in Cochrane. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $285, with Cochrane cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Cochrane

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

26,000

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cochrane 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cochrane

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 Cochrane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cochrane wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cochrane the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 44% lower in Cochrane. 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,182 in Cochrane. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $1,074 in Cochrane – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,074 in Cochrane versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cochrane but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Cochrane the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cochrane delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,074 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cochrane hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Cochrane 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 Cochrane gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.