Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Fort Nelson, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,228 in Fort Nelson, BC, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Fort Nelson, BC outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Fort Nelson, BC
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Fort Nelson, BC Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Fort Nelson, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Fort Nelson, BC

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,228 in Fort Nelson, BC.

Montreal $2,064
Fort Nelson, BC $2,228

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,278 in Fort Nelson, BC.

Montreal $3,156
Fort Nelson, BC $3,278

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $4,328 in Fort Nelson, BC.

Montreal $4,247
Fort Nelson, BC $4,328

Living in Montreal costs roughly 7% less than in Fort Nelson, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Fort Nelson, BC 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.53

$19.21 CA$26.84

-1.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$67.6 CA$94.5

7.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.20

$10.94 CA$15.29

-0.55%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.24 CA$4.52

17.59%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.87 CA$2.61

3.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.90 CA$2.65

-16.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$5.62 CA$7.85

13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$5.15 CA$7.20

40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.84 CA$2.57

21.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.33 CA$3.26

36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.88 CA$5.43

-14.69%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.79 CA$5.30

-4.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.39

$9.79 CA$13.68

34.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.15

$11.28 CA$15.76

2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.16

$16.24 CA$22.70

-15.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.67 CA$5.13

-10.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.34 CA$1.88

8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$4.06 CA$5.67

-17.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.20 CA$5.87

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.53 CA$3.54

-25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.29 CA$3.20

-21.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.26 CA$3.16

9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.78 CA$2.49

-11.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$13.40 CA$18.72

-15.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.66

$11.14 CA$15.56

-5.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.41 CA$3.37

-2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$3.04 CA$4.25

-4.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.30 CA$3.21

13.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$53.3 CA$74.5

48.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$3.23 CA$4.52

0.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.68 CA$2.34

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

$21.93 CA$30.65

52.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.35 CA$1.88

-1.48%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$25.2K CA$35.2K

13.60%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$22.2K CA$31.0K

-4.87%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$139 CA$194

-42.40%

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

$34.30 CA$47.93

$35.38 CA$49.44

-3.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$55.0 CA$76.8

-22.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.52

$40.48 CA$56.6

-23.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.12

$15.79 CA$22.07

22.93%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$10.59 CA$14.79

6.04%

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

$525 CA$734

$656 CA$916

-19.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$13.1K CA$18.4K

24.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.0

$48.84 CA$68.2

18.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$37.36 CA$52.2

2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$91.1 CA$127

2.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$88.2 CA$123

24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,796

$1,411 CA$1,972

-8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,365

$1,111 CA$1,552

-12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,173

$2,293 CA$3,204

-0.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,326

$1,788 CA$2,499

-6.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,181

$4,067 CA$5,683

26.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,358

$3,370 CA$4,709

13.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,195

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.68

-4.27%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Fort Nelson, BC: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Fort Nelson, BC

$1.1K 49.9% 13.7% $134

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Fort Nelson, BC

$354 15.9% 0.7% $2.4

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Fort Nelson, BC

$279 12.5% 4.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Fort Nelson, BC

$229 10.3% 45.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Fort Nelson, BC

$119 5.4% 11.4% $15

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Fort Nelson, BC

$74 3.3% 25.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Fort Nelson, BC

$62 2.8% 15% $8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,411 in Fort Nelson, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $68 in Fort Nelson, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $354, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Fort Nelson, BC

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

3,300

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montreal Fort Nelson, BC 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Fort Nelson, BC

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 Nelson, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Fort Nelson, BC. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,096 in Montreal and $3,341 in Fort Nelson, BC to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,411 in Fort Nelson, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Montreal versus $656 in Fort Nelson, BC. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort Nelson, BC – a meal for two runs $68 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Montreal is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.