Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lansing, IL

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,424 in Lansing, IL, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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 Lansing, IL
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Lansing, IL Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Lansing, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lansing, IL

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,424 in Lansing, IL, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Lansing, IL $2,424

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,690 in Lansing, IL, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Lansing, IL $3,690

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,956 in Lansing, IL, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Lansing, IL $4,956

Montreal is about 15% cheaper than Lansing, IL, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Lansing, IL sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Lansing, IL by 79%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$19.66 $19.66

-4.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$74.6 $74.6

-1.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.59 $11.59

-9.06%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.19 $5.19

-23.51%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.72 $2.72

-28.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.96 $1.96

-19.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.90 $5.90

8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$7.22 $7.22

-0.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.99 $0.99

134.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.57 $3.57

-10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.45 $4.45

-28.31%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.11 $4.11

-10.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$12.76 $12.76

3.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.39 $11.39

2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$16.88 $16.88

-17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.10 $5.10

-38.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.64 $1.64

-11.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.39 $4.39

-23.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.79 $4.79

-35.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.82 $2.82

-31.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.91 $2.91

-37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.19 $2.19

7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.22 $2.22

-32.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$9.96 $9.96

11.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$15.07 $15.07

-29.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.92 $1.92

15.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.27 $3.27

-13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.05 $2.05

27.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.69 $2.69

20.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.56 $1.56

-5.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$33.26 $33.26

-3.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.13 $1.13

20.35%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.9K $27.9K

-0.80%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$26.3K $26.3K

-19.54%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$196 $196

-60.63%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$66.0 $66.0

-48.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$71.0 $71.0

-40.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$40.95 $40.95

-24.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$14.18 $14.18

-19.11%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,377 $1,377

-63.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$26.8K $26.8K

-39.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$55.9 $55.9

2.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$43.58 $43.58

-12.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$101 $101

-9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$120 $120

-8.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,607 $1,607

-23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,143 $1,143

-14.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,651 $2,651

-17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,131 $2,131

-24.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,439 $2,439

109.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,500 $2,500

49.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,105 $3,105

-4.78%

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 Lansing, IL: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Lansing, IL

$1.1K 47.2% 17.1% $167

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Lansing, IL

$398 16.4% 13.5% $47

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Lansing, IL

$317 13.1% 9.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Lansing, IL

$333 13.7% 117% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Lansing, IL

$144 6% 7.9% $11

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Lansing, IL

$19 * 0.8% 81.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Lansing, IL

$69 2.9% 28.9% $16

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 $1,607 in Lansing, IL. 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 5% higher in Lansing, IL, 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 $73.0 in Montreal versus $75.0 in Lansing, IL. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $398 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Lansing, IL

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

112,644

💱 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 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).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Lansing, IL 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Lansing, IL

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 Lansing, IL: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lansing, IL is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,636 in Lansing, IL. 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 $2,059 in Montreal and $2,424 in Lansing, IL. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $506 per month in Montreal and $1,377 in Lansing, IL. 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 $2,059, than in Lansing, IL at $2,424. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lansing, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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, Lansing, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.