Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Mazar-i-Sharif

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazar-i-Sharif: $297 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Mazar-i-Sharif
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Mazar-i-Sharif Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Mazar-i-Sharif

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Mazar-i-Sharif

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 Mazar-i-Sharif actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Montreal $2,003
Mazar-i-Sharif $297

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $470 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Montreal $3,048
Mazar-i-Sharif $470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $643 in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Montreal $4,092
Mazar-i-Sharif $643

Living in Montreal is roughly 575% more expensive than in Mazar-i-Sharif, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Mazar-i-Sharif is 78% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$2.31 ؋149

735.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$15.68 ؋1,015

381.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$3.90 ؋252

172.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 ؋487

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 ؋503

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$1.19 ؋77.3

230.25%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$0.56 ؋36.07

242.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.32 ؋20.97

362.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$0.60 ؋38.87

270.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$0.15 ؋9.41

1940.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$2.15 ؋139

36.74%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$1.59 ؋103

122.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$7.92 ؋513

66.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$3.37 ؋218

233.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$6.23 ؋404

121.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$0.59 ؋38.23

476.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.17 ؋76.0

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$0.81 ؋52.6

302.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$0.61 ؋39.57

372.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.51 ؋33.06

264.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$0.40 ؋25.83

355.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.52 ؋33.75

367.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.32 ؋20.76

375.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 ؋118

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$1.56 ؋101

633.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.80 ؋52.0

222.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$1.52 ؋98.7

2073.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.49 ؋96.3

-8.72%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$9,933 ؋643.3K

176.11%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

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

$76.1 CA$109

$83.8 ؋5,425

-9.12%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$16.94 ؋1,097

104.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$11.69 ؋757

147.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$3.91 ؋253

419.95%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$4.72 ؋306

137.50%

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

$505 CA$720

$78.1 ؋5,058

546.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$13.14 ؋851

345.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$18.75 ؋1,214

464.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$231 ؋15.0K

1164.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Mazar-i-Sharif: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Mazar-i-Sharif

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$106 36.2% 69.1% $237

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$48 16.3% 83.6% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$101 * 34.3% 34.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$14 * 4.9% 89.2% $118

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$3.2 * 1.1% 96.7% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Mazar-i-Sharif

$21 7.2% 58.9% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Montreal pays 1165% 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: $75.0 in Montreal vs $16.00 in Mazar-i-Sharif for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $106 per month, with Mazar-i-Sharif cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇦🇫 Mazar-i-Sharif

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

300,600

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Montreal Mazar-i-Sharif 10,060 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Montreal
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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 Mazar-i-Sharif: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mazar-i-Sharif is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 575% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1165% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 223% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,003 per month in Montreal versus $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif – a 575% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $297 in Mazar-i-Sharif versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mazar-i-Sharif but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Mazar-i-Sharif the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Mazar-i-Sharif is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Mazar-i-Sharif 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 Mazar-i-Sharif gentler on the wallet – expenses run 575% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.