Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Golden, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,214 in Golden, BC, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
106

Cost of Living Index in Golden, BC
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Golden, BC Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Golden, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,214 in Golden, BC.

Montreal $2,064
Golden, BC $2,214

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,008 in Golden, BC.

Montreal $3,156
Golden, BC $3,008

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $3,801 in Golden, BC.

Montreal $4,247
Golden, BC $3,801

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Golden, BC 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.53

$16.86 CA$23.56

12.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$58.7 CA$82.0

24.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.20

$11.20 CA$15.65

-2.86%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.96 CA$5.54

-3.79%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.00 CA$2.80

-3.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.66 CA$2.32

-4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$4.52 CA$6.32

40.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$5.73 CA$8.00

26.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.10 CA$1.54

102.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.77 CA$3.87

14.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.52 CA$4.92

-5.97%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.16 CA$4.41

14.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.39

$9.32 CA$13.03

41.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.15

$13.44 CA$18.78

-13.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.16

$21.53 CA$30.09

-36.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.52 CA$4.92

-6.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.49 CA$2.08

-2.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$3.57 CA$4.99

-5.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.77 CA$6.67

-33.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$3.24 CA$4.53

-41.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$3.08 CA$4.30

-41.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.59 CA$3.61

-4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.93 CA$2.70

-18.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$14.53 CA$20.30

-22.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.66

$13.81 CA$19.29

-24.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.63 CA$3.68

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$3.15 CA$4.41

-7.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.13 CA$2.98

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$69.7 CA$97.4

13.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.91 CA$4.07

12.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.80 CA$2.52

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

$34.20 CA$47.79

-2.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.32 CA$1.84

0.76%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$28.4K CA$39.7K

0.86%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$21.7K CA$30.4K

-2.94%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$49.97 CA$69.8

60.22%

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

$34.30 CA$47.93

$44.60 CA$62.3

-23.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$57.2 CA$79.9

-25.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.52

$37.84 CA$52.9

-17.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.12

$20.54 CA$28.70

-5.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$11.21 CA$15.66

0.18%

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

$525 CA$734

$631 CA$881

-16.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$16.6K CA$23.2K

-1.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.0

$48.90 CA$68.3

18.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$41.33 CA$57.8

-7.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$84.6 CA$118

10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$101 CA$142

8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,796

$1,292 CA$1,805

-0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,365

$1,136 CA$1,588

-14.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,173

$1,527 CA$2,134

48.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,326

$1,287 CA$1,799

29.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,181

$4,211 CA$5,884

22.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,358

$3,686 CA$5,151

4.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,195

$3,228 CA$4,511

-7.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.69

-4.48%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Golden, BC: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Golden, BC

$1.1K 51.3% 16.4% $160

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Golden, BC

$386 17.5% 10% $35

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Golden, BC

$265 12% 9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Golden, BC

$152 6.9% 3.5% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Golden, BC

$124 5.6% 7.9% $11

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Golden, BC

$90 4.1% 9.8% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Golden, BC

$60 2.7% 12.4% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,292 in Golden, BC. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Golden, BC pays 8% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $59 in Golden, BC. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $386, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Golden, BC

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

4,038

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Golden, BC 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Golden, 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 Golden, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 7% lower in Montreal. 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: $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,292 in Golden, BC. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Golden, BC – a meal for two runs $59 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,064 per month in Montreal versus $2,214 in Golden, BC – Montreal is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Montreal wins on affordability, Golden, BC on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.