Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Columbia, KY

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,516 in Columbia, KY, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, KY
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Columbia, KY Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Columbia, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Columbia, KY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,516 in Columbia, KY.

Montreal $2,059
Columbia, KY $2,516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,869 in Columbia, KY.

Montreal $3,123
Columbia, KY $3,869

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $5,221 in Columbia, KY.

Montreal $4,187
Columbia, KY $5,221

Living in Montreal costs roughly 18% less than in Columbia, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Columbia, KY 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.28 $17.28

9.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$83.2 $83.2

-11.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.42 $10.42

1.15%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.94 $5.94

-33.16%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.68 $2.68

-27.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.81 $1.81

-13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.05 $6.05

6.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.80 $6.80

5.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.99 $0.99

134.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.47 $3.47

-8.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.44 $4.44

-28.15%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.25 $4.25

-13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.15 $12.15

8.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.61 $11.61

0.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$17.24 $17.24

-18.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.06 $5.06

-37.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.66 $1.66

-12.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.40 $4.40

-23.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.79 $4.79

-35.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.80 $2.80

-31.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.03 $3.03

-39.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.11 $2.11

11.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.21 $2.21

-32.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$10.32 $10.32

7.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$13.88 $13.88

-23.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.05 $2.05

8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.99 $2.99

-5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.08 $2.08

25.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.11 $3.11

3.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.99 $1.99

-25.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$25.87 $25.87

24.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.02 $1.02

33.33%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$26.0K $26.0K

6.51%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$27.4K $27.4K

-22.75%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$196 $196

-60.74%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$58.5 $58.5

-41.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$70.2 $70.2

-39.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$42.28 $42.28

-27.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$12.09 $12.09

-5.13%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,404 $1,404

-63.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$24.1K $24.1K

-32.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$45.91 $45.91

24.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$36.44 $36.44

4.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$94.6 $94.6

-2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$112 $112

-2.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,580 $1,580

-21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,275 $1,275

-23.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,318 $2,318

-5.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,435 $2,435

-33.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,565 $2,565

99.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,637 $2,637

41.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

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 20, 2026

Last update for Columbia, KY: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Columbia, KY

$1.3K 50.7% 30.5% $298

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Columbia, KY

$396 15.7% 12.7% $45

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Columbia, KY

$303 12% 4.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Columbia, KY

$325 12.9% 112% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Columbia, KY

$130 5.2% 2.7% $3.6

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Columbia, KY

$21 * 0.9% 78.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Columbia, KY

$66 2.6% 23.6% $13

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 $1,580 in Columbia, KY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $83.0 in Columbia, KY for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $396 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Columbia, KY

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

139,698

💱 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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Between locations

Montreal Columbia, KY 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Columbia, KY

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 Columbia, KY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Columbia, KY differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $2,516 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $3,774 in Columbia, KY 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 $1,580 in Columbia, KY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $1,404 in Columbia, KY. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $83.0 in Columbia, KY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,516 in Columbia, KY, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Columbia, KY. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Columbia, KY 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 22% less than in Columbia, KY. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.