Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lafayette, CO

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,709 in Lafayette, CO, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,059
/mo nomad
Lafayette, CO
🇺🇸 United States
$2,709
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lafayette, CO

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,709 in Lafayette, CO, rent included.

  • Montreal $2,059
  • Lafayette, CO $2,709

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,773 in Lafayette, CO, rent included.

  • Montreal $3,123
  • Lafayette, CO $3,773

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,838 in Lafayette, CO, rent included.

  • Montreal $4,187
  • Lafayette, CO $4,838

Montreal is about 24% cheaper than Lafayette, CO, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Lafayette, CO sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Lafayette, CO by 100%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.84 CA$26.63
$19.61 $19.61
-3.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.2 CA$104
$73.7 $73.7
-0.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.90
$10.26 $10.26
2.73%
Cappuccino
$3.97 CA$5.61
$5.25 $5.25
-24.38%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 CA$2.74
$2.70 $2.70
-28.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.22
$1.97 $1.97
-20.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 CA$9.08
$6.15 $6.15
4.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 CA$10.19
$7.35 $7.35
-2.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CA$3.28
$0.92 $0.92
152.17%
White Bread (500g)
$3.19 CA$4.51
$3.99 $3.99
-20.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.50
$4.03 $4.03
-20.84%
Eggs
$3.68 CA$5.20
$4.25 $4.25
-13.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.24 CA$18.72
$11.55 $11.55
14.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.69 CA$16.53
$11.42 $11.42
2.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.98 CA$19.76
$18.04 $18.04
-22.51%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$4.86 $4.86
-35.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 CA$2.05
$1.58 $1.58
-8.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 CA$4.78
$4.79 $4.79
-29.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.11 CA$4.40
$5.16 $5.16
-39.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 CA$2.72
$2.46 $2.46
-21.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 CA$2.58
$3.32 $3.32
-44.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.36 CA$3.34
$2.40 $2.40
-1.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 CA$2.12
$2.08 $2.08
-27.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.12 CA$15.73
$8.97 $8.97
23.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.60 CA$14.98
$14.93 $14.93
-29.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.14
$1.98 $1.98
12.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 CA$4.01
$3.49 $3.49
-18.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 CA$3.71
$2.26 $2.26
15.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.1 CA$112
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.56
$3.01 $3.01
7.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.10
$1.57 $1.57
-5.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.22 CA$45.55
$30.06 $30.06
7.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.92
$1.04 $1.04
30.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K CA$39.1K
$25.1K $25.1K
10.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K CA$30.0K
$27.4K $27.4K
-22.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.0 CA$109
$159 $159
-51.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.14 CA$48.26
$59.5 $59.5
-42.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.19 CA$59.7
$67.9 $67.9
-37.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.81 CA$43.56
$41.03 $41.03
-24.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.66 CA$27.79
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 CA$16.22
$12.89 $12.89
-11.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$506 CA$716
$1,302 $1,302
-61.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$23.0K
$24.5K $24.5K
-33.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.3 CA$81.0
$57.5 $57.5
-0.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.10 CA$53.9
$37.42 $37.42
1.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$80.6 $80.6
14.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$102 $102
8.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 CA$1,748
$1,455 $1,455
-15.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$977 CA$1,381
$1,494 $1,494
-34.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,180 CA$3,082
$2,743 $2,743
-20.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 CA$2,273
$2,107 $2,107
-23.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,113 CA$7,228
$2,612 $2,612
95.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,744 CA$5,293
$2,537 $2,537
47.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Lafayette, CO
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,957 CA$4,180
-
-
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 Lafayette, CO: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$977
Lafayette, CO
$1.5K 53% $518
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$351
Lafayette, CO
$402 14.5% $51
Eating Out
Montreal
$290
Lafayette, CO
$315 8.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$153
Lafayette, CO
$286 86.7% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$134
Lafayette, CO
$125 6.7% $9
Getting Around
Montreal
$100
Lafayette, CO
$20 * 80.1% $80
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$54
Lafayette, CO
$67 24.3% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,455 in Lafayette, CO. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal versus $74.0 in Lafayette, CO. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $402 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇺🇸 Lafayette, CO
🕒 Local time
17:13 5:13 PM
15:13 3:13 PM
2 h behind Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
27,729
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Lafayette, CO 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Lafayette, CO

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 Lafayette, CO: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lafayette, CO cheaper than Montreal?
Yes – Lafayette, CO is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $4,063 in Lafayette, CO. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Montreal and in Lafayette, CO?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,059 in Montreal and $2,709 in Lafayette, CO. That's a gap of about 32%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $506 per month in Montreal and $1,302 in Lafayette, CO. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Montreal or in Lafayette, CO?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Lafayette, CO at $2,709. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lafayette, CO it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Montreal or Lafayette, CO more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Montreal or Lafayette, CO?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lafayette, CO makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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