Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lake Geneva, WI

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Lake Geneva, WI
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Lake Geneva, WI Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Lake Geneva, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lake Geneva, WI

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI.

Montreal $2,059
Lake Geneva, WI $2,464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,622 in Lake Geneva, WI.

Montreal $3,123
Lake Geneva, WI $3,622

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,780 in Lake Geneva, WI.

Montreal $4,187
Lake Geneva, WI $4,780

Living in Montreal costs roughly 16% less than in Lake Geneva, WI, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Lake Geneva, WI 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$21.49 $21.49

-12.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$90.0 $90.0

-18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$12.95 $12.95

-18.61%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.82 $5.82

-31.79%

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

$2.36 $2.36

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$6.95 $6.95

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$8.86 $8.86

-18.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.01 $1.01

129.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.46 $2.46

29.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$5.06 $5.06

-36.96%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$2.00 $2.00

84.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$13.97 $13.97

-5.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$9.65 $9.65

21.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$9.92 $9.92

40.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.13 $4.13

-23.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.93 $1.93

-24.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.14 $4.14

-18.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.72 $4.72

-34.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.66 $2.66

-27.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.66 $2.66

-31.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.21 $2.21

6.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.97 $2.97

-49.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$8.45 $8.45

31.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$12.84 $12.84

-17.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.66 $2.66

-16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.37 $3.37

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.15 $2.15

21.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.30 $3.30

-2.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.36 $1.36

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$25.17 $25.17

28.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$0.91 $0.91

49.45%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$35.4K $35.4K

-21.87%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

-19.37%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$192 $192

-59.83%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$67.3 $67.3

-49.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$50.6 $50.6

-16.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$42.35 $42.35

-27.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$10.13 $10.13

13.23%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,687 $1,687

-70.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$31.5K $31.5K

-48.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$66.7 $66.7

-14.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$50.7 $50.7

-24.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$98.3 $98.3

-6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$146 $146

-24.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,610 $1,610

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,198 $1,198

-18.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,754 $2,754

-20.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,911 $1,911

-15.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,513 $2,513

103.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,682 $2,682

39.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,761 $3,761

-21.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.45

-30.54%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lake Geneva, WI: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Lake Geneva, WI

$1.2K 48.6% 22.7% $222

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Lake Geneva, WI

$359 14.6% 2.2% $7.7

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Lake Geneva, WI

$353 14.3% 21.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Lake Geneva, WI

$310 12.6% 102% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Lake Geneva, WI

$163 6.6% 21.7% $29

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Lake Geneva, WI

$19 * 0.8% 81.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Lake Geneva, WI

$63 2.5% 16.4% $8.8

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 $1,610 in Lake Geneva, WI. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lake Geneva, WI pays 27% 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: $73.0 in Montreal vs $90.0 in Lake Geneva, WI for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $359 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Lake Geneva, WI

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

8,000

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Lake Geneva, WI 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Lake Geneva, WI

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 Geneva, WI: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Lake Geneva, WI differ by about 20% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $2,464 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Lake Geneva, WI. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,610 in Lake Geneva, WI. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $1,687 in Lake Geneva, WI. 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 $90.0 in Lake Geneva, WI. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,464 in Lake Geneva, WI, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Lake Geneva, WI. 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 Lake Geneva, WI 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 20% less than in Lake Geneva, WI. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.