Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Markham

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,429 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Markham outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Markham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,429 in Markham.

Montreal $2,059
Markham $2,429

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,533 in Markham.

Montreal $3,123
Markham $3,533

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,638 in Markham.

Montreal $4,187
Markham $4,638

Living in Montreal costs roughly 15% less than in Markham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Markham 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.50 CA$24.74

7.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$52.7 CA$74.5

38.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.50 CA$14.85

0.38%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.69 CA$5.22

7.59%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.77 CA$2.50

9.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.18 CA$1.67

33.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$3.62 CA$5.11

77.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.71 CA$8.07

26.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.92 CA$2.71

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.26 CA$3.19

41.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$1.91 CA$2.70

67.02%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.18 CA$4.49

15.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.96 CA$16.91

-2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$6.92 CA$9.79

102.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.76 CA$5.32

-16.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.34 CA$1.89

8.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$2.32 CA$3.27

45.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.24 CA$4.58

-4.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.02 CA$2.86

-4.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.98 CA$2.80

-7.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.85 CA$4.03

-17.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.49 CA$2.10

0.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$13.22 CA$18.69

-15.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$14.59 CA$20.63

-27.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.40 CA$3.39

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.12 CA$4.41

-8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$3.10 CA$4.38

-15.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$91.7 CA$130

-13.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.39 CA$4.79

-4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$18.30 CA$25.88

76.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.19 CA$1.68

14.29%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.6K CA$39.0K

0.23%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$21.4K CA$30.2K

-0.92%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$126 CA$178

-38.96%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$27.25 CA$38.52

25.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$45.89 CA$64.9

-8.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$42.66 CA$60.3

-27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$21.28 CA$30.09

-7.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$10.00 CA$14.14

14.70%

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

$506 CA$716

$878 CA$1,242

-42.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$27.5K CA$38.8K

-40.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$42.38 CA$59.9

35.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$38.11 CA$53.9

-0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$93.8 CA$133

-1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$106 CA$149

3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,607 CA$2,271

-23.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,395 CA$1,972

-29.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,736 CA$3,868

-20.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,343 CA$3,312

-31.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$5,918 CA$8,367

-13.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$5,456 CA$7,714

-31.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,198 CA$4,520

-7.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.56

-1.75%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Markham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Markham

$1.4K 57.4% 42.8% $418

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Markham

$282 * 11.6% 19.8% $69

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Markham

$257 10.6% 11.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Markham

$199 8.2% 30% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Markham

$126 5.2% 5.8% $7.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Markham

$107 * 4.4% 7.1% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Markham

$63 2.6% 16.6% $8.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $1,607 in Markham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Markham pays 8% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $53.0 in Markham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $282 per month, with Markham cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Markham

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

338,503

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Montreal Markham 490 km

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Montreal
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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 Markham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Markham. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Markham. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,607 in Markham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $878 in Markham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Markham pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,429 in Markham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Markham. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Montreal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,059 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Markham 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 18% less than in Markham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.