Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Merced, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,528 in Merced, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Merced, CA

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,528 in Merced, CA.

Montreal $2,018
Merced, CA $2,528

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $3,698 in Merced, CA.

Montreal $3,085
Merced, CA $3,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $4,868 in Merced, CA.

Montreal $4,152
Merced, CA $4,868

Living in Montreal costs roughly 20% less than in Merced, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Merced, CA 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$17.30 $17.30

8.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$39.53 $39.53

77.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$12.13 $12.13

-12.12%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.67 $5.67

-32.28%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.47 $2.47

-22.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.47 $1.47

4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$9.15 $9.15

-31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$10.14 $10.14

-29.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.24 $1.24

86.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.33 $4.33

-27.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$4.18 $4.18

-23.21%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$5.69 $5.69

-38.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$19.30 $19.30

-33.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$14.22 $14.22

-19.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$21.62 $21.62

-38.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.45 $4.45

-29.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.03 $2.03

-29.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$5.41 $5.41

-35.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$5.36 $5.36

-42.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.49 $3.49

-45.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.96 $2.96

-40.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.44 $2.44

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.57 $2.57

-39.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$11.89 $11.89

-4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$15.78 $15.78

-32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.42 $2.42

-6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.41 $3.41

-17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.49 $1.49

78.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$59.9 $59.9

29.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.05 $3.05

4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.66 $1.66

-10.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$26.51 $26.51

24.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.32 $1.32

1.52%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$37.3K $37.3K

-24.43%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.8K $25.8K

-23.82%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$237 $237

-68.01%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$29.93 $29.93

13.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$82.7 $82.7

-48.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$32.75 $32.75

-9.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$14.11 $14.11

43.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$16.87 $16.87

-33.91%

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

$507 CA$717

$1,851 $1,851

-72.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$40.5K $40.5K

-60.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$59.9 $59.9

-3.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$50.7 $50.7

-25.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$100.0 $100.0

-8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$120 $120

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,638 $1,638

-23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,082 $1,082

-12.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,012 $2,012

6.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,905 $1,905

-15.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,890 $2,890

71.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$2,896 $2,896

32.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,329 $3,329

-15.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.36

-29.56%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8% 14.2% $135

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Merced, CA

$479 19% 38.4% $133

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Merced, CA

$325 12.8% 12.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Merced, CA

$350 13.9% 130% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Merced, CA

$149 5.9% 11.3% $15

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Merced, CA

$77 3.1% 21.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Merced, CA

$66 2.6% 27.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $1,638 in Merced, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Merced, CA pays 18% 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: $70.0 in Montreal vs $40.00 in Merced, CA. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $479, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

11:59 11:59 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

83,316

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Merced, CA 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Merced, CA

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 Merced, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Merced, CA differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $2,528 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Merced, CA. 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 $1,638 in Merced, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $1,851 in Merced, CA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,528 in Merced, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Merced, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Montreal 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 Merced, CA 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 25% less than in Merced, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.