Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cornwall, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Cornwall, ON: $1,939 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Cornwall, ON
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Cornwall, ON Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Cornwall, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,939

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cornwall, ON

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,939 in Cornwall, ON, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Cornwall, ON $1,939

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $2,911 in Cornwall, ON, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Cornwall, ON $2,911

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $3,884 in Cornwall, ON, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Cornwall, ON $3,884

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

Both Montreal and Cornwall, ON sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Cornwall, ON by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$18.02 CA$25.29

5.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$64.5 CA$90.5

13.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$10.63 CA$14.92

2.35%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$4.79 CA$6.72

-20.46%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.32 CA$3.25

-16.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.79 CA$2.51

-11.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$4.74 CA$6.65

34.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$5.70 CA$7.99

27.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.00 CA$2.80

11.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.21 CA$3.11

43.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$2.55 CA$3.59

29.80%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$2.59 CA$3.63

40.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$5.38 CA$7.55

144.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$10.70 CA$15.02

8.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$13.07 CA$18.34

4.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$8.68 CA$12.18

-62.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$0.97 CA$1.36

50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$2.02 CA$2.83

66.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$3.63 CA$5.09

-13.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$1.28 CA$1.79

47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$3.31 CA$4.65

-45.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$1.17 CA$1.64

111.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.83 CA$2.56

-13.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$10.29 CA$14.44

9.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$14.52 CA$20.38

-27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$3.08 CA$4.32

-24.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$2.48 CA$3.48

17.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.09 CA$2.93

24.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$46.75 CA$65.6

69.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$2.80 CA$3.93

16.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.19 CA$1.67

21.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$26.19 CA$36.75

27.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.08 CA$1.51

23.15%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$26.7K CA$37.5K

7.09%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$22.7K CA$31.9K

-7.09%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$66.2 CA$92.9

20.95%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$41.94 CA$58.9

-18.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$56.8 CA$79.7

-24.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$20.20 CA$28.35

54.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

$12.25 CA$17.19

58.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$9.69 CA$13.59

15.89%

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

$525 CA$737

$498 CA$700

5.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$11.2K CA$15.8K

45.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$56.8 CA$79.6

2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$31.51 CA$44.22

20.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$92.8 CA$130

0.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$87.7 CA$123

25.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$1,066 CA$1,496

20.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$931 CA$1,306

4.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$2,085 CA$2,925

8.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$1,522 CA$2,136

9.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

$2,473 CA$3,470

107.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

$2,113 CA$2,965

81.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$3,009 CA$4,222

-0.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.58

-2.18%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cornwall, ON: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Cornwall, ON

$931 48% 4.7% $46

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Cornwall, ON

$333 17.2% 5.1% $18

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Cornwall, ON

$285 14.7% 2% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Cornwall, ON

$165 8.5% 4.9% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Cornwall, ON

$121 6.2% 10.3% $14

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Cornwall, ON

$64 3.3% 36.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Cornwall, ON

$40 2% 26.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,066 in Cornwall, ON. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $64 in Cornwall, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $333 – making Cornwall, ON the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Cornwall, ON

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

46,867

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Montreal Cornwall, ON 110 km

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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 Cornwall, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,064 in Montreal, $1,939 in Cornwall, ON – Cornwall, ON comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,096 per month in Montreal and $2,908 in Cornwall, ON. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cornwall, ON, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,066 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,064 in Montreal and $1,939 in Cornwall, ON. That makes Cornwall, ON about 6% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Cornwall, ON. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,064 in Montreal and $1,939 in Cornwall, ON, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Cornwall, ON is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 6% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.