Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Hoffman Estates, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,548 in Hoffman Estates, IL, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Hoffman Estates, IL
Learn more

Hoffman Estates, IL Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Hoffman Estates, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Hoffman Estates, IL

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 Hoffman Estates, IL actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,548 in Hoffman Estates, IL.

Montreal $2,059
Hoffman Estates, IL $2,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,650 in Hoffman Estates, IL.

Montreal $3,123
Hoffman Estates, IL $3,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,753 in Hoffman Estates, IL.

Montreal $4,187
Hoffman Estates, IL $4,753

Living in Montreal costs roughly 19% less than in Hoffman Estates, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Hoffman Estates, IL 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.29 $17.29

8.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$66.6 $66.6

9.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.17 $10.17

3.64%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.86 $4.86

-18.31%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.76 $2.76

-29.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.01 $2.01

-21.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.40 $6.40

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.17 $6.17

16.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.01 $1.01

129.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.43 $3.43

-7.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.29 $4.29

-25.64%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.27 $4.27

-13.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.41 $12.41

6.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.38 $11.38

2.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$17.28 $17.28

-19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.96 $4.96

-36.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.59 $1.59

-8.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.27 $4.27

-20.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.60 $4.60

-32.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.72 $2.72

-29.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$3.01 $3.01

-39.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.14 $2.14

10.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.20 $2.20

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$8.92 $8.92

24.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$14.93 $14.93

-29.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.21 $2.21

0.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.87 $2.87

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.05 $2.05

27.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.37 $3.37

-4.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.52 $1.52

-2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$30.23 $30.23

6.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.22 $1.22

11.48%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$26.4K $26.4K

4.73%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$27.1K $27.1K

-21.68%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$222 $222

-65.31%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$59.5 $59.5

-42.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$68.7 $68.7

-38.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$41.74 $41.74

-26.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$13.87 $13.87

-17.30%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,385 $1,385

-63.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$25.3K $25.3K

-35.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$58.7 $58.7

-2.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$40.85 $40.85

-6.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$90.1 $90.1

2.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$122 $122

-10.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,618 $1,618

-23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,283 $1,283

-23.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,803 $2,803

-22.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,029 $2,029

-20.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,652 $2,652

92.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,396 $2,396

56.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$2,390 $2,390

23.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.57

-31.81%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hoffman Estates, IL: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$1.3K 50.4% 31.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$395 15.5% 12.5% $44

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$291 11.4% 0% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$350 13.7% 128% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$140 5.5% 5% $6.7

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$19 * 0.8% 80.9% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Hoffman Estates, IL

$69 2.7% 29.2% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,618 in Hoffman Estates, IL. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $67.0 in Hoffman Estates, IL. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $395, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Hoffman Estates, IL

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

51,895

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Hoffman Estates, IL 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Hoffman Estates, IL

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 Hoffman Estates, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Hoffman Estates, IL differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $2,548 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,618 in Hoffman Estates, IL. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $1,385 in Hoffman Estates, IL. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $67.0 in Hoffman Estates, IL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,548 in Hoffman Estates, IL, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Hoffman Estates, IL. 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 Hoffman Estates, IL 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 24% less than in Hoffman Estates, IL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.