Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Columbia, MO

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreal and in Columbia, MO: $2,059 and $2,049 a month, rent and utilities included.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Columbia, MO
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Columbia, MO Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Columbia, MO

🇺🇸 United States

$2,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,049 in Columbia, MO.

Montreal $2,059
Columbia, MO $2,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $2,865 in Columbia, MO.

Montreal $3,123
Columbia, MO $2,865

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $3,682 in Columbia, MO.

Montreal $4,187
Columbia, MO $3,682

Living in Montreal is roughly 1% more expensive than in Columbia, MO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Columbia, MO 51% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$16.12 $16.12

16.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$73.2 $73.2

0.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.84 $11.84

-10.98%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.72 $4.72

-15.89%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.47 $2.47

-21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.16 $2.16

-27.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.07 $5.07

26.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.56 $5.56

29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.09 $1.09

112.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.80 $2.80

13.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.33 $4.33

-26.33%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.40 $3.40

8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$11.34 $11.34

16.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$12.01 $12.01

-2.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.16 $14.16

-1.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.06 $4.06

-22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.91 $1.91

-24.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.47 $4.47

-24.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.57 $4.57

-31.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.85 $2.85

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.59 $2.59

-29.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.66 $1.66

42.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.04 $2.04

-26.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$8.01 $8.01

38.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$16.74 $16.74

-36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.96 $1.96

13.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.36 $2.36

20.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$4.76 $4.76

-32.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.01 $1.01

46.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$22.83 $22.83

41.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.05 $1.05

29.52%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$35.7K $35.7K

-22.61%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$26.0K $26.0K

-18.61%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$179 $179

-56.98%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$46.85 $46.85

-27.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$57.6 $57.6

-26.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$30.12 $30.12

2.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$23.35 $23.35

-15.80%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$12.91 $12.91

-11.15%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,185 $1,185

-57.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$12.9K $12.9K

25.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$48.26 $48.26

18.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$33.10 $33.10

15.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$94.2 $94.2

-2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$86.3 $86.3

27.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,221 $1,221

1.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$934 $934

4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,814 $1,814

20.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,170 $1,170

37.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,061 $2,061

148.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$1,877 $1,877

99.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$4,084 $4,084

-27.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.54

-31.50%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Columbia, MO: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Columbia, MO

$934 45.6% 4.4% $43

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Columbia, MO

$372 18.1% 5.9% $21

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Columbia, MO

$276 13.5% 5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Columbia, MO

$284 13.8% 84.8% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Columbia, MO

$118 5.8% 11.9% $16

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Columbia, MO

$9.8 * 0.5% 90.2% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Columbia, MO

$56 2.7% 4.1% $2.2

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 $1,221 in Columbia, MO. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Columbia, MO pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $73.0 in Columbia, MO for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $372 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Columbia, MO

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

07:01 7:01 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 20, 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 20, 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, MO 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Columbia, MO

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, MO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Columbia, MO is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. The 1% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Columbia, MO. 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 $1,221 in Columbia, MO. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $1,185 in Columbia, MO. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $2,049 in Columbia, MO versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Columbia, MO but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Columbia, MO the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Columbia, MO is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Columbia, MO 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 Columbia, MO gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.