Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Montreal $2,018
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Montreal $3,085
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Montreal $4,152
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Montreal costs roughly 9% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Lisbon 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$16.50 €14.67

14.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$61.3 €54.5

14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$11.27 €10.03

-5.41%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.06 €2.72

25.49%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.26 €2.01

-15.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.73 €1.54

-10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$3.39 €3.02

83.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.40 €3.02

108.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.12 €1.00

106.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.86 €1.65

68.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.53 €1.36

109.80%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.96 €3.53

-11.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$12.76 €11.35

0.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$7.90 €7.02

45.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$16.97 €15.09

-21.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.27 €2.02

38.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.75 €1.55

-17.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.85 €1.64

87.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.57 €2.28

19.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.86 €1.65

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.02 €1.80

-12.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.44 €1.28

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.82 €0.73

89.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$6.56 €5.83

73.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$5.62 €5.00

89.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.28 €1.14

77.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.07 €1.84

36.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.35 €2.09

13.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$44.18 €39.30

74.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.99 €3.55

-19.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.09 €0.97

35.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$16.64 €14.81

97.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$2.28 €2.03

-41.23%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

-16.40%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$39.3K €35.0K

-50.04%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$167 €149

-54.65%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$18.80 €16.72

80.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$33.09 €29.43

27.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$46.01 €40.93

-35.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$19.19 €17.07

5.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$9.84 €8.75

13.31%

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

$507 CA$717

$677 €602

-25.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$16.9K €15.1K

-5.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$101 €90.1

-43.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$45.76 €40.70

-17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$100.0 €88.9

-8.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$123 €109

-10.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,614 €1,436

-21.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,197 €1,065

-20.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,862 €2,545

-25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,990 €1,770

-18.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$7,577 €6,740

-34.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$4,307 €3,831

-10.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$1,588 €1,412

78.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.85

16.36%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 26.3% $249

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 22.2% $77

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 15.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 44.1% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 24.7% $33

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 36.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 26.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 78% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $269 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

5 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

545,923 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

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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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Lisbon differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $2,223 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 10% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.