Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Halifax

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,348 in Halifax, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
114

Cost of Living Index in Halifax
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Halifax Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Halifax

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Halifax

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,348 in Halifax.

Montreal $2,059
Halifax $2,348

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,092 in Halifax.

Montreal $3,123
Halifax $3,092

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $3,835 in Halifax.

Montreal $4,187
Halifax $3,835

Living in Montreal costs roughly 12% less than in Halifax, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Halifax 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$26.91 £20.19

-29.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$80.0 £60.0

-8.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.47 £7.86

0.67%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.98 £3.74

-20.28%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.79 £2.09

-30.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.73 £1.30

-9.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.57 £4.93

-2.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.77 £5.08

6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.66 £1.25

39.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.55 £1.16

105.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.58 £1.93

23.64%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.79 £2.84

-2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$10.85 £8.14

22.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$8.98 £6.74

30.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$11.02 £8.26

26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.01 £2.26

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.85 £1.39

-21.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$2.51 £1.89

34.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.80 £3.60

-35.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.64 £1.23

17.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.72 £1.29

6.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.32 £0.99

78.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.55 £1.16

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$21.05 £15.79

-47.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$10.59 £7.94

0.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.76 £2.07

-19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.09 £2.32

-8.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.72 £2.04

-3.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$115 £86.5

-31.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.90 £2.93

-17.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$2.60 £1.95

-43.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$18.30 £13.73

76.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$2.02 £1.52

-32.67%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$39.1K £29.3K

-29.26%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$40.1K £30.1K

-47.13%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$242 £182

-68.20%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$16.85 £12.64

102.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$40.78 £30.59

3.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$28.48 £21.36

8.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$6.52 £4.89

201.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$13.33 £10.00

-13.95%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,599 £1,200

-68.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$15.9K £12.0K

1.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$81.0 £60.7

-29.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$47.16 £35.38

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$80.4 £60.3

14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$86.8 £65.1

26.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,250 £938

-1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,044 £783

-6.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$824 £618

164.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$962 £722

67.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$5,071 £3,804

0.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,831 £2,874

-2.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$2,961 £2,222

-0.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.61

-20.14%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Halifax: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Halifax

$1K 44.5% 6.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Halifax

$302 12.9% 14.1% $49

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Halifax

$371 15.8% 27.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Halifax

$300 12.8% 95.5% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Halifax

$133 5.7% 0.6% $0.7

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Halifax

$143 6.1% 42.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Halifax

$55 2.4% 2.6% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,250 in Halifax. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Halifax pays 0% 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: $73.0 in Montreal vs $80.0 in Halifax. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $302, with Halifax cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇬🇧 Halifax

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

02:01 2:01 AM

5 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

82,624

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Halifax 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Halifax

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 Halifax: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Halifax. 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 0% lower in Halifax. 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 $1,250 in Halifax. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Montreal runs roughly 46% less than in Halifax. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $1,599 in Halifax. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,348 in Halifax, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Halifax. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Halifax 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 14% less than in Halifax. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.