Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Louvain-la-Neuve

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Louvain-la-Neuve
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Louvain-la-Neuve Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Louvain-la-Neuve

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Louvain-la-Neuve

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 Louvain-la-Neuve actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Louvain-la-Neuve $2,209

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,348 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Louvain-la-Neuve $3,348

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $4,487 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Louvain-la-Neuve $4,487

Montreal is about 7% cheaper than Louvain-la-Neuve, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montreal and Louvain-la-Neuve sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Louvain-la-Neuve by 62%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$19.23 €17.23

-1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$88.7 €79.5

-17.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$13.79 €12.35

-21.10%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$4.30 €3.85

-11.40%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.64 €3.26

-46.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$3.08 €2.76

-48.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$5.53 €4.96

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$4.36 €3.90

66.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.18 €1.06

88.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.70 €2.42

17.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$2.83 €2.54

16.96%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$3.79 €3.39

-4.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$18.46 €16.54

-28.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$11.57 €10.37

-0.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$19.31 €17.30

-29.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.13 €2.81

5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.37 €2.13

-38.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$2.85 €2.55

18.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.01 €3.59

-21.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.31 €2.07

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.17 €1.95

-17.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$1.72 €1.54

43.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.09 €0.98

44.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$9.40 €8.42

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$7.96 €7.14

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$2.47 €2.21

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$3.13 €2.80

-7.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$5.96 €5.34

-56.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$55.3 €49.59

42.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.86 €2.56

13.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$2.35 €2.10

-38.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$16.55 €14.83

101.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.97 €1.76

-32.49%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$35.2K €31.5K

-18.61%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$36.7K €32.9K

-42.56%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$283 €253

-71.69%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$21.01 €18.82

63.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$59.7 €53.5

-28.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$28.31 €25.36

10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$17.11 €15.33

13.44%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$14.07 €12.61

-20.18%

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

$525 CA$734

$847 €759

-38.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$37.4K €33.5K

-56.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$103 €92.3

-43.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$46.16 €41.36

-17.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$111 €99.7

-16.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$133 €119

-17.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$987 €884

30.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$845 €757

15.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$1,705 €1,528

33.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$1,465 €1,313

13.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$3,582 €3,210

43.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

$3,142 €2,815

22.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$2,622 €2,350

14.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.65

22.74%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Louvain-la-Neuve: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$845 38.2% 13.5% $132

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$364 16.5% 3.5% $12

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$310 14% 6.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$363 16.5% 131% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$177 8% 31.2% $42

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$94 4.3% 6.2% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Louvain-la-Neuve

$56 2.6% 5.3% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $987 in Louvain-la-Neuve. 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 14% higher in Montreal, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $89 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $364 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇪 Louvain-la-Neuve

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

5 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

29,521

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Louvain-la-Neuve 5,560 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Louvain-la-Neuve

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 Louvain-la-Neuve: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 7% more than Montreal, 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $3,313 in Louvain-la-Neuve. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Louvain-la-Neuve, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $987 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Louvain-la-Neuve, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $89 in Louvain-la-Neuve. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,064 in Montreal and $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,064 in Montreal to $2,209 in Louvain-la-Neuve. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.