Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Downey, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $3,035 in Downey, CA, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Downey, CA
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Downey, CA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Downey, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Downey, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $3,035 in Downey, CA.

Montreal $2,018
Downey, CA $3,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $4,713 in Downey, CA.

Montreal $3,085
Downey, CA $4,713

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $6,391 in Downey, CA.

Montreal $4,152
Downey, CA $6,391

Living in Montreal costs roughly 34% less than in Downey, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Downey, CA 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$24.83 $24.83

-24.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$80.2 $80.2

-12.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$15.21 $15.21

-29.91%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.66 $5.66

-32.16%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$3.16 $3.16

-39.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.34 $2.34

-34.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$7.38 $7.38

-15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$9.36 $9.36

-24.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.12 $1.12

106.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.10 $4.10

-23.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$4.70 $4.70

-31.70%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$4.67 $4.67

-24.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$12.90 $12.90

-0.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$13.40 $13.40

-14.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$15.25 $15.25

-12.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.70 $4.70

-33.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.65 $1.65

-12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.13 $4.13

-15.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$5.48 $5.48

-43.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.71 $3.71

-48.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.08 $3.08

-42.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.03 $2.03

15.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.23 $2.23

-30.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$11.68 $11.68

-2.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$14.98 $14.98

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.01 $2.01

12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$4.20 $4.20

-32.86%

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

$6.34 $6.34

-49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.47 $1.47

-8.84%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$37.7K $37.7K

-25.33%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.7K $25.7K

-23.68%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$170 $170

-55.39%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$66.6 $66.6

-49.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$72.3 $72.3

-41.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$34.92 $34.92

-14.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$15.11 $15.11

-26.21%

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

$507 CA$717

$1,188 $1,188

-57.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$58.6 $58.6

-1.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$45.89 $45.89

-18.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$92.0 $92.0

-0.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$144 $144

-23.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,946 $1,946

-35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,693 $1,693

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$3,725 $3,725

-42.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$3,383 $3,383

-52.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$5,755 $5,755

-13.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$5,766 $5,766

-33.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$4,178 $4,178

-32.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.39

-29.89%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Downey, CA: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Downey, CA

$1.7K 55.8% 78.6% $745

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Downey, CA

$419 13.8% 20.9% $72

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Downey, CA

$390 12.8% 35.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Downey, CA

$309 10.2% 103% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Downey, CA

$153 5.1% 14.8% $20

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Downey, CA

$6.3 * 0.2% 93.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Downey, CA

$65 2.2% 25.1% $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 $1,260 in Montreal and $1,946 in Downey, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Downey, CA pays 48% 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 $80.0 in Downey, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $419 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Downey, CA

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

09:35 9:35 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

114,355

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 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 = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Downey, CA 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Downey, CA

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 Downey, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 50% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Downey, CA. 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,946 in Downey, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Downey, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $3,035 in Downey, CA – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $3,035 in Downey, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Downey, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Montreal and Downey, CA 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 50% less than in Downey, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.