Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lakewood, WA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
158

Cost of Living Index in Lakewood, WA
Learn more

Lakewood, WA Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Lakewood, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lakewood, WA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA.

Montreal $2,059
Lakewood, WA $3,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $4,777 in Lakewood, WA.

Montreal $3,123
Lakewood, WA $4,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $6,270 in Lakewood, WA.

Montreal $4,187
Lakewood, WA $6,270

Living in Montreal costs roughly 37% less than in Lakewood, WA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Lakewood, WA 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$18.09 $18.09

4.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$67.6 $67.6

8.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$12.71 $12.71

-17.07%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.20 $5.20

-23.65%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.98 $2.98

-34.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.05 $2.05

-23.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$3.90 $3.90

64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.10 $6.10

18.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.02 $1.02

127.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.68 $3.68

-13.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.24 $4.24

-24.76%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.92 $3.92

-6.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$13.72 $13.72

-3.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$8.69 $8.69

34.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$11.21 $11.21

24.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.38 $4.38

-28.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.94 $1.94

-25.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.16 $4.16

-18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.52 $4.52

-31.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.97 $1.97

-2.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.15 $2.15

-14.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.02 $2.02

16.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.49 $2.49

-39.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$12.36 $12.36

-10.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$15.84 $15.84

-33.08%

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

$4.15 $4.15

-31.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.04 $2.04

28.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$197 $197

-59.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.02 $2.02

59.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.64 $0.64

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$27.31 $27.31

17.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.34 $1.34

1.49%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$28.1K $28.1K

-1.61%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

-19.44%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$289 $289

-73.32%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$74.0 $74.0

-53.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$89.5 $89.5

-52.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$41.00 $41.00

-24.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$24.97 $24.97

-21.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$18.08 $18.08

-36.56%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,965 $1,965

-74.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$25.7K $25.7K

-36.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$50.1 $50.1

14.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$38.11 $38.11

-0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$100 $100

-8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$136 $136

-19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,961 $1,961

-36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,733 $1,733

-43.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$3,365 $3,365

-35.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$3,047 $3,047

-47.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,359 $2,359

116.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,606 $2,606

43.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.81

-34.21%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lakewood, WA: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Lakewood, WA

$1.7K 52.8% 77.4% $756

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Lakewood, WA

$369 11.2% 5% $18

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Lakewood, WA

$297 9.1% 2.3% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Lakewood, WA

$452 13.8% 195% $299

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Lakewood, WA

$146 4.5% 9.2% $12

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Lakewood, WA

$210 6.4% 110% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Lakewood, WA

$77 2.4% 43.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,961 in Lakewood, WA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $68.0 in Lakewood, WA. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $369, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Lakewood, WA

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

05:37 5:37 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

140,024

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Lakewood, WA 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Lakewood, WA

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 Lakewood, WA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Lakewood, WA differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $3,284 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $4,926 in Lakewood, WA to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,961 in Lakewood, WA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Montreal – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $68.0 in Lakewood, WA. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,059 per month in Montreal versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $3,284 in Lakewood, WA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Lakewood, WA. 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 Lakewood, WA 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 59% less than in Lakewood, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.