Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Grand Island, NE

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,578 in Grand Island, NE, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Grand Island, NE
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Grand Island, NE Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Grand Island, NE

🇺🇸 United States

$2,578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Grand Island, NE

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 Grand Island, NE actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,578 in Grand Island, NE, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Grand Island, NE $2,578

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,745 in Grand Island, NE, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Grand Island, NE $3,745

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,912 in Grand Island, NE, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Grand Island, NE $4,912

Montreal is about 20% cheaper than Grand Island, NE, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Grand Island, NE sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Grand Island, NE by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$19.33 $19.33

-2.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$76.2 $76.2

-3.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.19 $11.19

-5.81%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.05 $5.05

-21.39%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.47 $2.47

-21.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.05 $2.05

-23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.14 $6.14

4.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.98 $6.98

3.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.00 $1.00

132.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.48 $3.48

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.22 $4.22

-24.41%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.10 $4.10

-10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.09 $12.09

9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.33 $11.33

3.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$15.15 $15.15

-7.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.02 $5.02

-37.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.62 $1.62

-10.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.29 $4.29

-21.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.66 $4.66

-33.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.80 $2.80

-31.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.85 $2.85

-35.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.08 $2.08

13.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.11 $2.11

-28.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$9.50 $9.50

17.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$13.81 $13.81

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.85 $1.85

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.28 $3.28

-13.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.96 $1.96

33.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.54 $3.54

-8.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.60 $1.60

-7.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$29.56 $29.56

9.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$0.88 $0.88

54.55%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$29.6K $29.6K

-6.66%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$25.2K $25.2K

-15.84%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$184 $184

-58.22%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$53.3 $53.3

-36.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$66.3 $66.3

-36.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$42.18 $42.18

-26.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$13.66 $13.66

-16.03%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,284 $1,284

-60.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$23.1K $23.1K

-29.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$51.4 $51.4

11.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$39.71 $39.71

-4.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$85.1 $85.1

7.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$112 $112

-2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,625 $1,625

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,360 $1,360

-28.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,613 $2,613

-16.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,196 $2,196

-26.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,754 $2,754

85.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,473 $2,473

51.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.51

-31.18%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Grand Island, NE: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Grand Island, NE

$1.4K 52.8% 39.3% $384

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Grand Island, NE

$383 14.9% 9.1% $32

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Grand Island, NE

$312 12.1% 7.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Grand Island, NE

$304 11.8% 98.3% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Grand Island, NE

$130 5% 2.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Grand Island, NE

$19 * 0.8% 80.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Grand Island, NE

$69 2.7% 29.3% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,625 in Grand Island, NE. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal versus $76.0 in Grand Island, NE. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $383 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Grand Island, NE

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

23:13 11:13 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

44,632

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Grand Island, NE 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Grand Island, NE

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 Grand Island, NE: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grand Island, NE is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,866 in Grand Island, NE. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $76.0 in Grand Island, NE. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Grand Island, NE, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Grand Island, NE at $2,578. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grand Island, NE it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Grand Island, NE makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.