Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort St John, BC: $1,949 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Fort St John, 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 St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC.

Montreal $2,059
Fort St John, BC $1,949

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,002 in Fort St John, BC.

Montreal $3,123
Fort St John, BC $3,002

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,055 in Fort St John, BC.

Montreal $4,187
Fort St John, BC $4,055

Living in Montreal is roughly 6% more expensive than in Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Fort St John, BC 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.70 CA$25.02

6.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$42.02 CA$59.4

74.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$9.35 CA$13.22

12.73%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.89 CA$5.49

2.06%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.82 CA$2.58

6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.22 CA$1.73

28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.19 CA$8.75

3.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$4.51 CA$6.38

59.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$3.34 CA$4.72

-30.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.79 CA$3.94

14.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.66 CA$5.17

-12.84%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.18 CA$5.90

-11.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.02 CA$16.99

10.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$13.69 CA$19.36

-14.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$18.57 CA$26.26

-24.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.73 CA$8.10

-45.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$0.73 CA$1.03

98.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.77 CA$5.33

-10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.61 CA$5.11

-13.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.82 CA$3.98

-31.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.76 CA$3.90

-33.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.14 CA$3.03

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.52 CA$3.57

-40.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.36 CA$20.29

-22.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$21.42 CA$30.29

-50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$4.85 CA$6.85

-54.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$5.60 CA$7.91

-49.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.44 CA$2.03

81.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$28.86 CA$40.80

174.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.25 CA$1.76

8.80%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

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

$77.0 CA$109

$126 CA$178

-38.76%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$101 CA$142

-66.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$61.0 CA$86.2

-30.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$13.48 CA$19.06

128.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$10.56 CA$14.94

8.62%

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

$506 CA$716

$697 CA$985

-27.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$71.2 CA$101

-19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$47.43 CA$67.0

-19.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$105 CA$148

-12.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$143 CA$202

-23.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$733 CA$1,036

68.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$709 CA$1,002

37.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,542 CA$2,180

41.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,394 CA$1,971

15.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$1,291 CA$1,824

296.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,094 CA$4,374

-4.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.1

-26.56%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4% 27.4% $268

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1% 28.2% $99

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8% 7.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7% 87.3% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5% 23.5% $31

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8% 65.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8% 35.6% $19

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 $1,237 in Montreal and $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fort St John, BC pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $450, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

04:40 4:40 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

18,609

💱 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 St John, BC 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Fort St John, 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 St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Fort St John, BC. 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 $733 in Fort St John, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Fort St John, BC – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $73.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,059 per month in Montreal versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,949 in Fort St John, BC versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fort St John, BC but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Fort St John, BC the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Montreal and Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.