Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lake Charles, LA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lake Charles, LA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Lake Charles, LA
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Lake Charles, LA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Lake Charles, LA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Lake Charles, LA $2,234

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $3,205 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Lake Charles, LA $3,205

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $4,176 in Lake Charles, LA, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Lake Charles, LA $4,176

Montreal is about 10% cheaper than Lake Charles, LA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Lake Charles, LA sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Lake Charles, LA by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$26.06 $26.06

-25.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$69.6 $69.6

8.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$11.03 $11.03

-3.63%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$5.33 $5.33

-26.27%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$2.01 $2.01

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.28 $1.28

15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$5.15 $5.15

22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$5.85 $5.85

22.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.39 $1.39

59.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$4.20 $4.20

-27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$6.24 $6.24

-52.88%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$5.24 $5.24

-32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$15.86 $15.86

-16.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$10.33 $10.33

8.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$15.79 $15.79

-12.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$4.29 $4.29

-20.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.33 $1.33

8.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$2.01 $2.01

62.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$5.65 $5.65

-49.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$4.38 $4.38

-57.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$2.19 $2.19

-16.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$2.25 $2.25

8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$2.59 $2.59

-41.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$8.71 $8.71

31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$17.13 $17.13

-39.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$2.58 $2.58

-13.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.95 $3.95

-28.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$3.56 $3.56

-8.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.51 $1.51

-1.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$34.87 $34.87

-5.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$0.86 $0.86

58.14%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$35.3K $35.3K

-22.23%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$25.3K $25.3K

-21.03%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$260 $260

-70.70%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$69.2 $69.2

-49.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$57.8 $57.8

-26.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$31.62 $31.62

-8.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$13.96 $13.96

45.63%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$11.81 $11.81

-5.08%

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

$505 CA$720

$1,590 $1,590

-68.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$10.4K $10.4K

53.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$24.66 $24.66

137.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$43.34 $43.34

-12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$60.3 $60.3

53.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$119 $119

-11.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$1,009 $1,009

22.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$918 $918

7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$1,512 $1,512

39.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$1,252 $1,252

28.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,358 $1,358

271.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,397 $1,397

174.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$3,670 $3,670

-20.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

6.66

-33.03%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lake Charles, LA: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Lake Charles, LA

$918 40.5% 6.9% $68

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Lake Charles, LA

$427 18.8% 24.2% $83

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Lake Charles, LA

$356 15.7% 21.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$387 17.1% 152% $233

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$111 4.9% 16.2% $21

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Lake Charles, LA

$11 * 0.5% 88.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Lake Charles, LA

$55 2.4% 7.6% $3.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $1,009 in Lake Charles, LA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 26% higher in Lake Charles, LA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal versus $70.0 in Lake Charles, LA. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Montreal vs $427 in Lake Charles, LA – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Lake Charles, LA

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

84,872

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Lake Charles, LA 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Lake Charles, LA

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 Lake Charles, LA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lake Charles, LA costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $3,351 in Lake Charles, LA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,003 in Montreal and $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA. That's a gap of about 12%.

Kindergarten costs $505 per month in Montreal and $1,590 in Lake Charles, LA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,003, than in Lake Charles, LA at $2,234. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lake Charles, LA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $2,234 in Lake Charles, LA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Montreal. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lake Charles, LA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.