Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cold Lake

For one person, living is cheaper in Cold Lake: $1,912 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Montreal despite lower rent and utilities.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Cold Lake
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Cold Lake Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Cold Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cold Lake

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,912 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Cold Lake $1,912

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,791 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Cold Lake $2,791

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,670 in Cold Lake, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Cold Lake $3,670

Montreal costs about 6% more than Cold Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Cold Lake sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Cold Lake by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$19.96 CA$28.21

-5.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$57.5 CA$81.2

22.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.67 CA$13.68

10.24%

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

$2.26 CA$3.19

-15.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.42 CA$2.01

8.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$5.57 CA$7.87

11.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$6.14 CA$8.68

15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.16 CA$1.64

99.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.18 CA$3.09

44.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.87 CA$4.06

11.85%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.07 CA$4.35

14.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$10.61 CA$14.99

20.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$11.16 CA$15.77

2.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$18.77 CA$26.53

-28.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.50 CA$4.94

-10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.16 CA$1.64

24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.81 CA$3.97

23.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.48 CA$3.50

23.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.15 CA$3.04

-11.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.06 CA$1.50

66.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.33 CA$3.30

0.43%

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

$11.94 CA$16.88

-4.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.41 CA$16.14

-6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$3.57 CA$5.05

-36.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.85 CA$4.03

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

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

$20.67 CA$29.22

59.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.03 CA$1.45

30.10%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$28.3K CA$40.0K

-0.39%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$19.4K CA$27.4K

1.27%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$225 CA$318

-66.24%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$43.04 CA$60.8

-21.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$54.3 CA$76.7

-22.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.61 CA$17.82

-11.58%

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

$507 CA$717

$761 CA$1,075

-33.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,434 CA$13.3K

70.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$28.35 CA$40.08

103.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$35.05 CA$49.55

7.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$51.5 CA$72.8

78.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$85.9 CA$121

27.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$860 CA$1,216

46.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$840 CA$1,188

12.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,544 CA$2,183

38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,397 CA$1,975

15.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,084 CA$4,359

-8.31%

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 Cold Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Cold Lake

$840 44% 11.3% $107

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Cold Lake

$335 17.5% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Cold Lake

$289 15.1% 0.5% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Cold Lake

$322 16.9% 112% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Cold Lake

$90 4.7% 32.3% $43

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Cold Lake

$9.8 * 0.5% 90% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Cold Lake

$25 * 1.3% 51.6% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $860 in Cold Lake. 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 9% higher in Cold Lake, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $57.0 in Cold Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $335 – making Cold Lake the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Cold Lake

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

11,595

💱 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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Between locations

Montreal Cold Lake 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cold Lake

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 Cold Lake: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $2,868 in Cold Lake. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cold Lake, 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 $2,018 in Montreal and $1,912 in Cold Lake. That's a gap of about 6%.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Montreal and $761 in Cold Lake. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Cold Lake, where all-in costs run around $1,912, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Cold Lake it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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