Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $925 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Los Ángeles
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Los Ángeles Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Los Ángeles

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $925 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Los Ángeles $925

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,378 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Los Ángeles $1,378

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,831 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Los Ángeles $1,831

Montreal costs about 118% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Los Ángeles is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.76

$12.46 CLP 12.3K

51.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$25.23 CLP 24.8K

178.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.15

$10.17 CLP 10,000

4.82%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$2.03 CLP 1,992

89.16%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.50 CLP 1,471

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$1.57 CLP 1,539

-1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$2.47 CLP 2,433

152.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.09

$3.04 CLP 2,992

133.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.21 CLP 1,187

90.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$2.80 CLP 2,751

12.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$2.98 CLP 2,934

7.72%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$4.33 CLP 4,262

-18.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.22

$8.05 CLP 7,914

59.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$10.69 CLP 10.5K

7.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$14.17 CLP 13.9K

-5.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$2.63 CLP 2,582

19.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.61 CLP 1,579

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$2.71 CLP 2,669

28.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$2.28 CLP 2,244

34.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.51 CLP 1,480

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.59 CLP 1,568

11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$1.44 CLP 1,413

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$1.10 CLP 1,081

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$5.67 CLP 5,576

100.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.12

$4.27 CLP 4,196

148.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$0.99 CLP 976

129.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$0.50 CLP 487

432.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$2.06 CLP 2,029

55.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.75

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.26 CLP 1,243

6.35%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

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

$76.0 CA$108

$123 CLP 120.6K

-38.09%

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

$33.95 CA$48.28

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.2

$20.82 CLP 20.5K

103.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.31

$80.7 CLP 79.3K

-63.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.84

$10.27 CLP 10.1K

97.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.86

$4.42 CLP 4,347

152.26%

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

$507 CA$721

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$274 CLP 269.1K

360.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$228 CLP 223.8K

316.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,038

$442 CLP 434.6K

383.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,294

$337 CLP 331.0K

379.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,052

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,456

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,020

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Los Ángeles

$228 24.6% 76% $720

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Los Ángeles

$275 * 29.7% 20.7% $72

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Los Ángeles

$185 20% 35.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Los Ángeles

$144 * 15.5% 5.7% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Los Ángeles

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Los Ángeles

$4 * 0.4% 95.9% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Los Ángeles

$90 9.7% 72% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $274 in Los Ángeles. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $25.00 in Los Ángeles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $275 – making Los Ángeles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

143,023

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.17 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 983 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,101 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.08 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Los Ángeles 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 118% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,387 in Los Ángeles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Ángeles, 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 $2,018 in Montreal and $925 in Los Ángeles. That's a gap of about 118%.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Los Ángeles, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Los Ángeles it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Los Ángeles costs $925 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Los Ángeles. 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.