Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Kabul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $511 in Kabul.

Montreal $2,003
Kabul $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $684 in Kabul.

Montreal $3,048
Kabul $684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $857 in Kabul.

Montreal $4,092
Kabul $857

Living in Montreal is roughly 292% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Kabul is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$2.70 ؋175

615.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$7.89 ؋511

856.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$4.51 ؋292

135.70%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$1.09 ؋70.5

260.55%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$0.45 ؋28.95

326.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.17 ؋10.83

770.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$0.81 ؋52.4

174.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$0.25 ؋16.23

1124.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.86 ؋121

58.06%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$1.54 ؋99.7

129.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$4.46 ؋289

195.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$4.03 ؋261

178.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$6.71 ؋434

105.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$0.70 ؋45.11

385.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$0.89 ؋57.4

61.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$0.95 ؋61.5

243.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$0.55 ؋35.47

423.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.61 ؋39.34

204.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$0.51 ؋32.74

256.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.30 ؋19.48

710.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.37 ؋23.89

310.81%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ؋52.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋65.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$2.42 ؋157

373.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.13 ؋8.60

1884.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$21.08 ؋1,366

264.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.12 ؋138

53.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.45 ؋29.02

228.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$2.77 ؋179

1092.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.08 ؋69.9

25.93%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$8,341 ؋540.2K

228.82%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$33.8K ؋2.2M

-40.84%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$42.09 ؋2,726

80.85%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$13.12 ؋850

164.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$95.3 ؋6,174

-55.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$11.15 ؋722

159.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$4.11 ؋266

394.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$2.34 ؋152

379.06%

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

$505 CA$720

$20.64 ؋1,337

2347.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$1,045 ؋67.7K

1431.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$10.71 ؋694

446.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$15.93 ؋1,032

138.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$57.8 ؋3,741

60.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$25.51 ؋1,652

314.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$125 ؋8,092

892.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$109 ؋7,043

806.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$219 ؋14.2K

860.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$115 ؋7,463

1301.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$675 ؋43.7K

646.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$363 ؋23.5K

953.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$339 ؋21.9K

761.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Kabul

$109 21.6% 89% $877

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Kabul

$102 20.2% 70.4% $242

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Kabul

$51 10.1% 82.7% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Kabul

$151 29.9% 1.9% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Kabul

$49 9.8% 62.7% $83

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Kabul

$26 5.2% 73.4% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Kabul

$16 3.2% 69.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $125 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 762% 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: $75.0 in Montreal vs $8.00 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $102 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

14:46 2:46 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.57 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Kabul 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Kabul differ by about 292% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $511 including rent). Kabul is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 762% 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: $1,240 in Montreal versus $125 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 265% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $505 in Montreal versus $20.64 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $511 in Kabul versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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 Kabul 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 Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 292% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.