Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Guelph

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,693 in Guelph, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
128

Cost of Living Index in Guelph
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Guelph Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Guelph

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Guelph

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $2,693 in Guelph.

Montreal $2,064
Guelph $2,693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $3,753 in Guelph.

Montreal $3,156
Guelph $3,753

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $4,814 in Guelph.

Montreal $4,247
Guelph $4,814

Living in Montreal costs roughly 23% less than in Guelph, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Guelph 98% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$21.26 CA$29.73

-10.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$70.7 CA$98.9

3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$11.61 CA$16.24

-6.29%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$3.49 CA$4.88

9.17%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.44 CA$2.01

34.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.31 CA$1.83

20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$5.10 CA$7.14

24.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$5.85 CA$8.18

24.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.16 CA$3.02

3.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.78 CA$3.89

14.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$3.78 CA$5.29

-12.43%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$3.06 CA$4.28

18.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$10.04 CA$14.05

31.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$16.01 CA$22.39

-27.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$22.09 CA$30.90

-37.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.54 CA$4.95

-7.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.32 CA$1.84

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$4.34 CA$6.08

-22.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.74 CA$6.63

-33.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$3.48 CA$4.87

-45.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.34 CA$3.27

-23.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$3.02 CA$4.22

-18.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.48 CA$2.07

6.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$10.86 CA$15.18

3.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$10.94 CA$15.30

-4.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$3.50 CA$4.90

-33.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$3.11 CA$4.35

-6.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.28 CA$3.20

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$65.9 CA$92.2

20.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.34 CA$3.27

39.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.83 CA$2.57

-21.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$23.94 CA$33.48

39.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.17 CA$1.64

13.68%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$28.4K CA$39.7K

0.91%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$22.9K CA$32.0K

-7.69%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$122 CA$171

-34.38%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$42.99 CA$60.1

-20.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$56.3 CA$78.7

-23.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$47.50 CA$66.4

-34.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$14.55 CA$20.36

33.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$10.55 CA$14.76

6.45%

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

$525 CA$734

$832 CA$1,163

-36.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$17.2K CA$24.0K

-4.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$62.9 CA$88.0

-7.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$36.51 CA$51.1

4.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$84.9 CA$119

10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$124 CA$174

-11.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$1,515 CA$2,119

-15.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$1,472 CA$2,059

-33.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$2,164 CA$3,027

4.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$2,008 CA$2,808

-17.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$4,967 CA$6,947

3.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

$4,356 CA$6,093

-11.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$3,053 CA$4,270

-1.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.99

-10.22%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Guelph: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Guelph

$1.5K 54.7% 50.7% $495

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Guelph

$410 15.2% 16.9% $59

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Guelph

$295 11% 1.4% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Guelph

$221 8.2% 40.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Guelph

$139 5.2% 2.9% $4

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Guelph

$87 3.2% 13.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Guelph

$69 2.6% 28% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $1,515 in Guelph. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $71 in Guelph. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $410, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Guelph

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

131,794

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Guelph 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Guelph: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,096 in Montreal and $4,039 in Guelph 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 $1,515 in Guelph. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Guelph. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Guelph – a meal for two runs $71 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.