Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Fort Frances, Ontario

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,196 in Fort Frances, Ontario, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Fort Frances, Ontario outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Fort Frances, Ontario
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Fort Frances, Ontario Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Fort Frances, Ontario

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Fort Frances, Ontario

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 Fort Frances, Ontario actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,196 in Fort Frances, Ontario.

Montreal $2,059
Fort Frances, Ontario $2,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,190 in Fort Frances, Ontario.

Montreal $3,123
Fort Frances, Ontario $3,190

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,184 in Fort Frances, Ontario.

Montreal $4,187
Fort Frances, Ontario $4,184

Living in Montreal costs roughly 6% less than in Fort Frances, Ontario, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Fort Frances, Ontario 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.47 CA$24.69

7.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$66.0 CA$93.3

10.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.55 CA$14.92

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.53 CA$5.00

12.46%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.02 CA$2.85

-3.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.60 CA$2.26

-1.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.23 CA$7.39

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.66 CA$8.00

27.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.01 CA$2.84

15.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.44 CA$3.45

30.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.21 CA$4.53

-0.62%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.33 CA$4.70

10.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$9.62 CA$13.60

37.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.38 CA$16.09

2.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$14.30 CA$20.21

-2.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.73 CA$5.27

-15.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.34 CA$1.89

8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.72 CA$5.26

-9.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.77 CA$5.33

-17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.48 CA$3.51

-22.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.24 CA$3.17

-18.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.42 CA$3.43

-2.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.56 CA$2.20

-3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.10 CA$19.93

-21.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$12.44 CA$17.59

-14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.66 CA$3.76

-16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.11 CA$4.39

-8.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.31 CA$3.26

13.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$60.1 CA$85.0

31.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.84 CA$4.02

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.46 CA$2.07

1.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$23.14 CA$32.72

39.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.06 CA$1.50

28.30%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.5K CA$38.9K

0.37%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$19.2K CA$27.1K

10.47%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$98.3 CA$139

-21.60%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$37.55 CA$53.1

-9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$49.21 CA$69.6

-14.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$40.95 CA$57.9

-24.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$17.62 CA$24.91

11.58%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$11.23 CA$15.88

2.14%

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

$506 CA$716

$732 CA$1,035

-30.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$13.1K CA$18.6K

23.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$52.5 CA$74.2

9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$37.90 CA$53.6

0.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$83.2 CA$118

10.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$103 CA$146

6.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,234 CA$1,745

0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,133 CA$1,602

-13.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,914 CA$2,706

13.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,721 CA$2,433

-6.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,261 CA$6,024

20.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,578 CA$5,059

4.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,503 CA$4,953

-15.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.66

-3.86%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Fort Frances, Ontario: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$1.1K 51.6% 16% $156

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$344 15.7% 1.9% $6.7

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$266 12.1% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$185 8.4% 20.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$125 5.7% 6.7% $9

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$79 3.6% 20.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Fort Frances, Ontario

$63 2.9% 18% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,234 in Fort Frances, Ontario. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort Frances, Ontario pays 18% 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: $73.0 in Montreal vs $66.0 in Fort Frances, Ontario for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $344 per month, with Fort Frances, Ontario cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Fort Frances, Ontario

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

7,700

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Montreal Fort Frances, Ontario 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Montreal
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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 Fort Frances, Ontario: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Fort Frances, Ontario. 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 $1,234 in Fort Frances, Ontario. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $732 in Fort Frances, Ontario. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Fort Frances, Ontario pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,196 in Fort Frances, Ontario, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Fort Frances, Ontario. 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 Fort Frances, Ontario, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Fort Frances, Ontario 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 7% less than in Fort Frances, Ontario. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.