Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and McAllen, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in McAllen, TX: $1,788 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
87

Cost of Living Index in McAllen, TX
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McAllen, TX Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

McAllen, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,788

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in McAllen, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $1,788 in McAllen, TX.

Montreal $2,018
McAllen, TX $1,788

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $2,731 in McAllen, TX.

Montreal $3,085
McAllen, TX $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $3,674 in McAllen, TX.

Montreal $4,152
McAllen, TX $3,674

Living in Montreal is roughly 13% more expensive than in McAllen, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, McAllen, TX 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$18.21 $18.21

3.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$76.3 $76.3

-7.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.93 $7.93

34.43%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.53 $4.53

-15.23%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.44 $2.44

-21.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.93 $1.93

-20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$4.97 $4.97

25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.40 $5.40

31.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$0.97 $0.97

138.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.94 $2.94

6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$4.36 $4.36

-26.38%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.37 $3.37

4.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.87 $9.87

29.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$12.58 $12.58

-8.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$15.09 $15.09

-11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$5.14 $5.14

-38.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.39 $2.39

-39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.28 $3.28

5.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$2.06 $2.06

49.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.96 $2.96

-35.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.62 $2.62

-32.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.74 $1.74

34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.09 $2.09

-25.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$8.68 $8.68

31.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$15.75 $15.75

-32.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.09 $2.09

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.22 $2.22

27.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$4.29 $4.29

-25.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.78 $0.78

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$0.89 $0.89

50.56%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.0K $27.0K

4.27%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$23.5K $23.5K

-16.30%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$164 $164

-53.79%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$37.59 $37.59

-9.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$66.3 $66.3

-36.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$44.90 $44.90

-33.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.23 $12.23

-8.83%

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

$507 CA$717

$908 $908

-44.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$78.5 $78.5

-26.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$44.89 $44.89

-16.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$74.2 $74.2

23.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$96.6 $96.6

13.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$816 $816

54.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$669 $669

41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,342 $1,342

59.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,144 $1,144

41.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,676 $1,676

195.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,700 $1,700

125.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,646 $3,646

-22.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.48

-30.86%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for McAllen, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

McAllen, TX

$669 37.4% 29.4% $279

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

McAllen, TX

$364 20.4% 5% $17

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

McAllen, TX

$277 15.5% 3.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

McAllen, TX

$268 15% 76.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

McAllen, TX

$132 7.4% 0.8% $1.1

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

McAllen, TX

$8.2 * 0.5% 91.7% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

McAllen, TX

$69 3.9% 33.2% $17

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 $1,260 in Montreal and $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

McAllen, TX pays 29% 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 $76.0 in McAllen, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $364 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 McAllen, TX

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

142,210

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal McAllen, TX 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
McAllen, TX

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 McAllen, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and McAllen, TX differ by about 13% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $1,788 including rent). McAllen, TX is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in McAllen, TX. 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $816 in McAllen, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $908 in McAllen, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in McAllen, TX – a meal for two runs $76.0 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,788 in McAllen, TX versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $3,000 budget is realistic in McAllen, TX but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes McAllen, TX 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 McAllen, TX 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 McAllen, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.