Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Fort McMurray

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,242 in Fort McMurray, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Fort McMurray
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Fort McMurray Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Fort McMurray

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,242

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Fort McMurray

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $2,242 in Fort McMurray, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Fort McMurray $2,242

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $3,323 in Fort McMurray, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Fort McMurray $3,323

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $4,404 in Fort McMurray, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Fort McMurray $4,404

Montreal is about 10% cheaper than Fort McMurray, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Fort McMurray sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Fort McMurray by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$20.90 CA$29.54

-9.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$55.8 CA$78.9

25.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$13.79 CA$19.50

-22.70%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.88 CA$5.49

-1.03%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.37 CA$3.35

-18.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.52 CA$2.14

1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$5.73 CA$8.10

8.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.33 CA$7.53

33.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.41 CA$2.00

63.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.70 CA$3.82

16.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$3.02 CA$4.27

6.29%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.98 CA$4.21

18.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$13.00 CA$18.38

-1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$13.01 CA$18.39

-11.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$19.80 CA$27.99

-32.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.44 CA$6.28

-29.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.26 CA$1.78

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$5.19 CA$7.33

-33.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$6.60 CA$9.34

-53.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.66 CA$5.17

-48.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.95 CA$5.58

-55.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.99 CA$4.22

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.36 CA$1.93

13.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$15.66 CA$22.13

-27.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$14.09 CA$19.92

-24.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$4.24 CA$5.99

-46.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.49 CA$4.93

-19.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.38 CA$1.94

92.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$49.42 CA$69.9

56.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.57 CA$5.05

-10.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.11 CA$1.57

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$32.27 CA$45.62

1.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.06 CA$1.50

26.42%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

3.17%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$21.2K CA$29.9K

-7.20%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$190 CA$269

-60.11%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$48.41 CA$68.4

-29.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$61.1 CA$86.4

-30.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$43.19 CA$61.1

-31.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$8.77 CA$12.40

131.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.46 CA$17.62

-10.51%

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

$507 CA$717

$559 CA$790

-9.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$66.3 CA$93.8

-13.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$35.33 CA$49.95

6.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$77.3 CA$109

18.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$85.2 CA$120

28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$906 CA$1,281

39.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$965 CA$1,364

-1.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,591 CA$2,250

34.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,656 CA$2,340

-2.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,598 CA$3,673

90.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,865 CA$2,636

105.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,042 CA$4,300

-7.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.77

-6.08%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Fort McMurray: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Fort McMurray

$965 43% 1.8% $17

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Fort McMurray

$416 18.6% 20% $69

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Fort McMurray

$310 13.8% 7.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Fort McMurray

$300 13.4% 97.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Fort McMurray

$119 5.3% 10.9% $15

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Fort McMurray

$64 2.9% 35% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Fort McMurray

$68 3% 30.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $906 in Fort McMurray. 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 8% higher in Fort McMurray, 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $56.0 in Fort McMurray. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $416 in Fort McMurray – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Fort McMurray

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

66,573

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Fort McMurray 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Fort McMurray: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,018 in Montreal, $2,242 in Fort McMurray – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $3,362 in Fort McMurray. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $2,242 in Fort McMurray. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Fort McMurray at $2,242. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort McMurray it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,018 in Montreal to $2,242 in Fort McMurray. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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