Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Grimsby

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,254 in Grimsby, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Grimsby 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 Grimsby
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Grimsby Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Grimsby

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,254

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Grimsby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,254 in Grimsby.

Montreal $2,018
Grimsby $2,254

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $3,321 in Grimsby.

Montreal $3,085
Grimsby $3,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $4,388 in Grimsby.

Montreal $4,152
Grimsby $4,388

Living in Montreal costs roughly 10% less than in Grimsby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Grimsby 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$17.58 CA$24.85

7.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$70.6 CA$99.8

-0.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$10.41 CA$14.71

2.40%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.35 CA$4.73

14.63%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.88 CA$2.66

2.13%

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

$5.64 CA$7.97

10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$6.17 CA$8.73

15.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.56 CA$3.62

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.84 CA$4.01

10.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$3.32 CA$4.70

-3.31%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.19 CA$13.00

39.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$10.23 CA$14.46

12.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$13.44 CA$18.99

-0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.41 CA$4.82

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.45 CA$2.05

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.65 CA$3.74

30.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.90 CA$4.09

5.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.87 CA$2.64

1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.88 CA$2.66

-5.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.05 CA$2.90

14.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.46 CA$2.07

6.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$13.37 CA$18.91

-14.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$10.42 CA$14.73

2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.77 CA$3.91

-18.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.63 CA$3.72

7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.45 CA$3.46

8.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$55.2 CA$78.0

40.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.87 CA$6.88

-34.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$2.51 CA$3.55

-41.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$41.39 CA$58.5

-20.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.15 CA$1.63

16.52%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

0.45%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$18.4K CA$26.0K

6.72%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$143 CA$203

-47.05%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$43.19 CA$61.1

-21.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$66.9 CA$94.5

-36.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$39.73 CA$56.2

-25.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$18.85 CA$26.65

7.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$8.86 CA$12.52

25.85%

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

$507 CA$717

$1,022 CA$1,445

-50.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$17.0K CA$24.0K

-5.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$69.4 CA$98.1

-17.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$38.37 CA$54.2

-2.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$96.6 CA$137

-4.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$96.4 CA$136

13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,169 CA$1,653

7.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,133 CA$1,602

-16.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,917 CA$2,710

11.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,848 CA$2,613

-12.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$4,532 CA$6,406

9.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$3,743 CA$5,292

2.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$4,334 CA$6,127

-34.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.52

-0.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Grimsby: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Grimsby

$1.1K 50.3% 19.6% $186

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Grimsby

$326 14.5% 5.8% $20

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Grimsby

$266 11.8% 7.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Grimsby

$254 11.3% 66.5% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Grimsby

$135 6% 1.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Grimsby

$82 3.7% 16.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Grimsby

$57 2.6% 10.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $1,169 in Grimsby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grimsby pays 53% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $71.0 in Grimsby. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $326, with Grimsby cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Grimsby

🕒 Local time

11:24 11:24 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

28,883

💱 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 Grimsby 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Grimsby

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 Grimsby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Grimsby differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $2,254 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Grimsby. 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,169 in Grimsby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $70.0 versus $71.0 in Grimsby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $2,254 in Grimsby – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,254 in Grimsby, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Grimsby. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Grimsby 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 Montreal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Grimsby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.