Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and College Station, TX

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreal and in College Station, TX: $2,018 and $2,108 a month, rent and utilities included.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,018
/mo nomad
College Station, TX
🇺🇸 United States
$2,108
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in College Station, TX

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 College Station, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,108 in College Station, TX.

  • Montreal $2,018
  • College Station, TX $2,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $3,162 in College Station, TX.

  • Montreal $3,085
  • College Station, TX $3,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $4,216 in College Station, TX.

  • Montreal $4,152
  • College Station, TX $4,216

Living in Montreal costs roughly 4% less than in College Station, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, College Station, TX 56% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.82 CA$26.61
$15.08 $15.08
24.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$70.3 CA$99.4
$76.5 $76.5
-8.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.66 CA$15.06
$12.24 $12.24
-12.91%
Cappuccino
$3.84 CA$5.43
$5.39 $5.39
-28.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.71
$2.84 $2.84
-32.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 CA$2.18
$1.76 $1.76
-12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.23 CA$8.81
$5.14 $5.14
21.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 CA$10.03
$7.63 $7.63
-6.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 CA$3.27
$0.76 $0.76
203.95%
White Bread (500g)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$3.33 $3.33
-5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 CA$4.54
$3.90 $3.90
-17.69%
Eggs
$3.52 CA$4.97
$2.88 $2.88
22.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.81 CA$18.11
$12.11 $12.11
5.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.46 CA$16.20
$9.47 $9.47
21.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.39 CA$18.92
$13.17 $13.17
1.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.43
$6.37 $6.37
-50.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.03
$1.54 $1.54
-6.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.47 CA$4.91
$6.48 $6.48
-46.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.07 CA$4.34
$4.84 $4.84
-36.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.90 CA$2.69
$4.07 $4.07
-53.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 CA$2.50
$2.92 $2.92
-39.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.34 CA$3.31
$1.76 $1.76
32.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 CA$2.19
$1.80 $1.80
-13.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.38 CA$16.09
$8.80 $8.80
29.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.63 CA$15.03
$14.12 $14.12
-24.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$1.77 $1.77
28.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 CA$3.99
$3.91 $3.91
-27.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.66 CA$3.76
$1.02 $1.02
160.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.3 CA$109
$20.08 $20.08
284.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 CA$4.53
$10.13 $10.13
-68.41%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.09
$1.84 $1.84
-19.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.88 CA$46.48
$59.6 $59.6
-44.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 CA$1.90
$0.91 $0.91
47.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K CA$39.8K
$36.6K $36.6K
-23.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.6K CA$27.8K
$25.0K $25.0K
-21.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.0 CA$107
$175 $175
-56.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.95 CA$48.00
$39.25 $39.25
-13.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.31 CA$59.8
$55.6 $55.6
-23.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.76 CA$42.07
$25.63 $25.63
16.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.28 CA$28.67
$17.43 $17.43
16.35%
Cinema Ticket
$11.15 CA$15.77
$11.57 $11.57
-3.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$507 CA$717
$747 $747
-32.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K CA$22.7K
$17.7K $17.7K
-9.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 CA$81.4
$60.1 $60.1
-4.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.58 CA$53.1
$38.42 $38.42
-2.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$83.8 $83.8
9.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$123 $123
-11.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,260 CA$1,782
$1,128 $1,128
11.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$948 CA$1,340
$952 $952
-0.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,137 CA$3,021
$1,951 $1,951
9.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,614 CA$2,281
$1,595 $1,595
1.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,960 CA$7,011
$2,161 $2,161
129.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,838 CA$5,425
$2,178 $2,178
76.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
College Station, TX
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,827 CA$3,997
$4,241 $4,241
-33.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
6.57
-31.81%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for College Station, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$948
College Station, TX
$952 0.5% $4.8
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$346
College Station, TX
$374 8% $28
Eating Out
Montreal
$288
College Station, TX
$281 2.2% $6.4
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$152
College Station, TX
$270 77.5% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$133
College Station, TX
$138 3.1% $4.1
Getting Around
Montreal
$99
College Station, TX
$43 55.9% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$52
College Station, TX
$49 6.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $1,128 in College Station, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

College Station, TX pays 50% 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: $70.0 in Montreal vs $77.0 in College Station, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $374 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇺🇸 College Station, TX
🕒 Local time
19:33 7:33 PM
18:33 6:33 PM
1 h behind Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
120,511
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal College Station, TX 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • College Station, TX

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 College Station, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or College Station, TX?
Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in College Station, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Montreal or in College Station, TX?
On paper, salaries run 50% lower in College Station, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Montreal compared to College Station, TX?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,128 in College Station, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Montreal compared to College Station, TX?
A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 285% less than in College Station, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Montreal and in College Station, TX?
Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $747 in College Station, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Montreal or in College Station, TX?
At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,108 in College Station, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in College Station, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or College Station, TX?
Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.
How safe is Montreal compared to College Station, TX?
Safety-wise, Montreal and College Station, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Montreal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in College Station, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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