Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Merrillville, IN

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Merrillville, IN outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Merrillville, IN
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Merrillville, IN Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Merrillville, IN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Merrillville, IN

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN.

Montreal $2,059
Merrillville, IN $2,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $3,672 in Merrillville, IN.

Montreal $3,123
Merrillville, IN $3,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $4,748 in Merrillville, IN.

Montreal $4,187
Merrillville, IN $4,748

Living in Montreal costs roughly 21% less than in Merrillville, IN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Merrillville, IN 92% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$14.93 $14.93

26.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$55.9 $55.9

30.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$9.88 $9.88

6.68%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$4.63 $4.63

-14.25%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.19 $2.19

-11.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.24 $2.24

-29.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$4.54 $4.54

41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.90 $5.90

22.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.74 $0.74

213.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.19 $3.19

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$4.54 $4.54

-29.74%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.63 $4.63

-20.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$11.10 $11.10

19.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$9.61 $9.61

21.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$21.94 $21.94

-36.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.75 $5.75

-45.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.12 $1.12

29.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.39 $4.39

-23.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$5.49 $5.49

-43.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$3.68 $3.68

-47.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$4.40 $4.40

-58.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.45 $2.45

-3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.27 $1.27

18.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$11.36 $11.36

-2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$12.22 $12.22

-13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$2.08 $2.08

6.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.43 $3.43

-17.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.02 $2.02

29.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$4.95 $4.95

-34.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.87 $1.87

-20.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$50.3 $50.3

-35.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$0.93 $0.93

46.24%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.9K $27.9K

-0.80%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$27.0K $27.0K

-21.59%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$233 $233

-66.87%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$50.9 $50.9

-32.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$59.0 $59.0

-28.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$47.50 $47.50

-35.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$14.98 $14.98

-23.43%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,397 $1,397

-63.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$20.4K $20.4K

-20.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$53.3 $53.3

7.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$40.39 $40.39

-5.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$106 $106

-13.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$95.7 $95.7

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,510 $1,510

-18.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,374 $1,374

-28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$2,410 $2,410

-9.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,148 $2,148

-25.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,523 $2,523

102.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,195 $2,195

70.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.53

-31.39%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Merrillville, IN: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Merrillville, IN

$1.4K 52.9% 40.7% $398

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Merrillville, IN

$390 15% 11.2% $39

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Merrillville, IN

$257 9.9% 11.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Merrillville, IN

$342 13.2% 123% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Merrillville, IN

$133 5.1% 0.4% $0.5

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Merrillville, IN

$22 * 0.9% 77.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Merrillville, IN

$77 3% 44.1% $24

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 $1,510 in Merrillville, IN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $73.0 in Montreal vs $56.0 in Merrillville, IN. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $390, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Merrillville, IN

🕒 Local time

18:19 6:19 PM

17:19 5:19 PM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

36,444

💱 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

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Between locations

Montreal Merrillville, IN 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Merrillville, IN

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 Merrillville, IN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Merrillville, IN differ by about 26% in total monthly costs ($2,059 vs $2,597 including rent). Montreal is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,089 in Montreal and $3,895 in Merrillville, IN to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,510 in Merrillville, IN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Merrillville, IN. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,059 per month in Montreal versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,059 in Montreal versus $2,597 in Merrillville, IN, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Merrillville, IN. 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 Merrillville, IN 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 26% less than in Merrillville, IN. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.