Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Emmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Emmen: $1,892 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Emmen
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Emmen Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Emmen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,892

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Emmen

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,892 in Emmen, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Emmen $1,892

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $2,917 in Emmen, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Emmen $2,917

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $3,942 in Emmen, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Emmen $3,942

Montreal costs about 9% more than Emmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Emmen sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Emmen by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$22.22 €19.85

-14.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$82.1 €73.3

-11.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.21

$13.56 €12.11

-19.76%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.41 €3.04

11.73%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.37 €3.01

-42.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$3.38 €3.02

-53.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$5.72 €5.11

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$4.36 €3.90

66.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.03 €0.92

116.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.21 €1.97

43.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$2.75 €2.45

20.36%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$4.35 €3.89

-16.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$11.94 €10.66

10.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.16

$12.73 €11.37

-9.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$16.42 €14.67

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$2.61 €2.33

26.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.43 €2.17

-39.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$1.80 €1.61

87.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.20 €2.86

-1.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$1.81 €1.62

4.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$1.85 €1.65

-3.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.19 €1.06

107.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$0.70 €0.62

125.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$12.34 €11.02

-8.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$6.52 €5.82

60.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$1.27 €1.13

84.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.63 €2.35

10.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.19 €1.95

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$8.33 €7.44

-60.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.99 €1.78

-27.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.75

$22.02 €19.67

51.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$2.36 €2.11

-43.64%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$42.0K €37.5K

-31.79%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$39.8K €35.5K

-46.92%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$166 €148

-51.78%

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

$34.30 CA$47.97

$18.60 €16.62

84.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$54.8 €48.99

-21.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.55

$41.08 €36.69

-24.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$22.11 €19.75

-12.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.70

$13.21 €11.80

-14.99%

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

$525 CA$734

$2,653 €2,369

-80.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$7,951 €7,102

105.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$77.3 €69.0

-24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$40.60 €36.26

-6.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$88.2 €78.8

5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$102 €91.2

7.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$878 €784

46.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$789 €705

23.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,175

$1,674 €1,495

35.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,328

$1,367 €1,221

21.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,186

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,362

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,198

$2,753 €2,459

9.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.65

22.74%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Emmen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Emmen

$789 41.7% 19.2% $188

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Emmen

$307 16.2% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Emmen

$324 17.1% 11.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Emmen

$239 12.7% 52.3% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Emmen

$139 7.3% 2.8% $3.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Emmen

$27 * 1.4% 73% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Emmen

$68 3.6% 25.9% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $878 in Emmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $82 in Emmen. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $307 in Emmen – so Emmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇳🇱 Emmen

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

02:56 2:56 AM

6 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

108,765

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Emmen 5,600 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Emmen

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 Emmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,064 in Montreal, $1,892 in Emmen – Emmen comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,096 per month in Montreal and $2,839 in Emmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Emmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $878 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $82 in Emmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Montreal, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,064 in Montreal and $1,892 in Emmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,892 in Emmen to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Emmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.