Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Kingston

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingston: $1,668 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Kingston
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Kingston Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Kingston

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,668

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Kingston

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $1,668 in Kingston.

Montreal $2,003
Kingston $1,668

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $2,779 in Kingston.

Montreal $3,048
Kingston $2,779

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $3,890 in Kingston.

Montreal $4,092
Kingston $3,890

Living in Montreal is roughly 20% more expensive than in Kingston, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Kingston 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.46

$13.57 JMD 2,150

42.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$107

$74.2 JMD 11.8K

1.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.11

$7.95 JMD 1,261

33.71%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.58

$5.47 JMD 866

-28.15%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.14 JMD 180

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.75 JMD 118

97.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.96

$2.26 JMD 358

178.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.22

$3.13 JMD 496

129.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$4.12 JMD 654

-46.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.35

$3.79 JMD 600

-19.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.18

$1.59 JMD 251

84.91%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.02

$3.56 JMD 564

-0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.76

$11.22 JMD 1,778

17.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$15.98

$6.48 JMD 1,026

73.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.65

$10.22 JMD 1,620

35.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.84

$5.89 JMD 933

-42.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$3.90 JMD 619

-63.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$7.34 JMD 1,163

-55.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.09

$3.06 JMD 485

-5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.64

$3.23 JMD 511

-42.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$2.67 JMD 423

-31.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.45

$3.05 JMD 483

-20.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.51 JMD 240

0.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.29

$9.51 JMD 1,507

20.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.73

$11.32 JMD 1,793

-8.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.15

$2.82 JMD 447

-21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$4.10 JMD 649

-31.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.66

$0.78 JMD 123

230.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$109

$37.32 JMD 5,914

106.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.63

$1.24 JMD 196

162.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$3.18 JMD 504

-53.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$46.99

$6.46 JMD 1,023

411.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.42 JMD 225

-4.23%

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

$27.4K CA$39.0K

$44.7K JMD 7.1M

-38.59%

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

$20.0K CA$28.4K

$32.9K JMD 5.2M

-39.22%

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

$76.1 CA$108

$169 JMD 26.7K

-54.87%

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

$34.68 CA$49.32

$29.11 JMD 4,613

19.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.7

$52.9 JMD 8,390

-19.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.17

$62.5 JMD 9,904

-53.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.91

$17.63 JMD 2,793

15.31%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.94

$13.28 JMD 2,104

-15.59%

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

$505 CA$718

$357 JMD 56.6K

41.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$8,163 JMD 1.3M

96.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.2

$23.85 JMD 3,780

145.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.1

$31.37 JMD 4,971

21.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$78.0 JMD 12.4K

18.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$102 JMD 16.1K

4.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,764

$957 JMD 151.6K

29.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,402

$576 JMD 91.3K

71.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,990

$2,139 JMD 338.9K

-1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,297

$1,391 JMD 220.5K

16.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,173

$2,892 JMD 458.2K

74.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,447

$2,080 JMD 329.6K

84.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,154

$733 JMD 116.1K

298.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

9.45

-52.80%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kingston: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Kingston

$576 34.2% 41.5% $410

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Kingston

$384 22.8% 11.8% $41

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Kingston

$223 13.2% 23.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Kingston

$251 14.9% 63.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Kingston

$106 6.3% 20.4% $27

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Kingston

$58 3.4% 41.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Kingston

$89 5.3% 73.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $957 in Kingston. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 299% 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 $74.0 in Kingston. Groceries flip the comparison at $344 vs $384, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇯🇲 Kingston

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

660,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.31 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Kingston 3,080 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Kingston

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 Kingston: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kingston wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kingston the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 299% 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 $957 in Kingston. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $505 in Montreal versus $357 in Kingston. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Montreal pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,668 in Kingston versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kingston but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Kingston the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kingston delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,668 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kingston hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Kingston 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 Kingston gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.