Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lille

For one person, living is cheaper in Lille: $1,944 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Lille
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Lille Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Lille

🇫🇷 France

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lille

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $1,944 in Lille, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Lille $1,944

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $2,941 in Lille, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Lille $2,941

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $3,939 in Lille, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Lille $3,939

Montreal costs about 6% more than Lille, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Montreal and Lille sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Lille by 43%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.98 €15.99

4.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$73.5 €65.4

-0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$13.38 €11.90

-21.23%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.75 €3.34

5.87%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$3.15 €2.80

-38.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.71 €1.52

-8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$8.01 €7.13

-19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.47 €4.87

31.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.31 €1.17

77.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.96 €1.75

62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.92 €2.60

9.25%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.23 €3.77

-13.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$21.25 €18.90

-37.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$12.62 €11.23

-7.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$23.62 €21.01

-40.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.48 €3.10

-9.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$2.22 €1.97

-34.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$2.28 €2.03

48.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.04 €2.70

2.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.92 €1.71

0.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.03 €1.81

-9.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.76 €1.56

34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.67 €0.60

123.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$13.78 €12.26

-19.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$8.66 €7.70

22.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.50 €2.22

-11.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$4.10 €3.65

-30.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.21 €1.96

18.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$68.3 €60.7

15.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.22 €1.97

45.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$2.18 €1.94

-32.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$24.40 €21.71

32.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$2.24 €1.99

-39.29%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$35.1K €31.3K

-21.34%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$38.0K €33.8K

-44.23%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$207 €184

-62.77%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$15.45 €13.74

120.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$31.40 €27.93

34.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$32.68 €29.07

-5.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$9.93 €8.84

97.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$14.82 €13.18

-22.60%

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

$506 CA$716

$631 €561

-19.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$8,272 €7,358

96.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$87.8 €78.1

-34.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$40.13 €35.69

-5.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$102 €90.9

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$102 €90.7

7.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$906 €806

36.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$711 €633

37.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,541 €1,371

41.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,166 €1,037

37.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,490 €3,994

13.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$3,041 €2,705

23.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$2,904 €2,583

1.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.92

14.29%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lille: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Lille

$711 36.6% 27.2% $265

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Lille

$377 19.4% 7.4% $26

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Lille

$300 15.4% 3.1% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Lille

$254 13.1% 65.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Lille

$149 7.7% 11.8% $16

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Lille

$90 4.6% 10.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Lille

$62 3.2% 15.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $906 in Lille. 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 2% higher in Montreal, 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 $74.0 in Lille. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $377 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇫🇷 Lille

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

17:40 5:40 PM

6 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

236,710

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Lille 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Lille

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 Lille: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,059 in Montreal, $1,944 in Lille – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $2,915 in Lille. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lille, 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 $1,944 in Lille. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 16% less in Lille. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Lille, where all-in costs run around $1,944, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Lille it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,944 in Lille to $2,059 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Lille. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.