Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Monterey Park, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,866 in Monterey Park, CA, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Monterey Park, CA
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Monterey Park, CA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monterey Park, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Monterey Park, 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 Monterey Park, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,866 in Monterey Park, CA.

Montreal $2,018
Monterey Park, CA $2,866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $4,218 in Monterey Park, CA.

Montreal $3,085
Monterey Park, CA $4,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $5,570 in Monterey Park, CA.

Montreal $4,152
Monterey Park, CA $5,570

Living in Montreal costs roughly 30% less than in Monterey Park, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 49% above, Monterey Park, CA 112% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$26.69 $26.69

-29.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$80.4 $80.4

-12.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$15.07 $15.07

-29.26%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$5.89 $5.89

-34.80%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$3.14 $3.14

-38.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.76 $2.76

-44.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$8.17 $8.17

-23.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$10.19 $10.19

-30.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.33 $1.33

73.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.94 $4.94

-36.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$4.60 $4.60

-30.22%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$5.74 $5.74

-38.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$11.29 $11.29

13.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$8.63 $8.63

32.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$19.40 $19.40

-30.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.65 $4.65

-32.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$2.32 $2.32

-37.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.12 $4.12

-15.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$5.60 $5.60

-45.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$3.41 $3.41

-44.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.93 $2.93

-39.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$1.95 $1.95

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$2.44 $2.44

-36.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$11.56 $11.56

-1.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$14.98 $14.98

-29.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.51 $2.51

-9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.71 $2.71

4.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.99 $1.99

33.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.08 $3.08

3.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.81 $1.81

-18.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$32.31 $32.31

1.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.57 $1.57

-14.65%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$37.4K $37.4K

-24.80%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$25.5K $25.5K

-23.06%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$272 $272

-72.06%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$85.8 $85.8

-60.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$81.4 $81.4

-48.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$47.47 $47.47

-37.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$19.40 $19.40

-42.53%

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

$507 CA$717

$1,175 $1,175

-56.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$31.7K $31.7K

-49.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$63.8 $63.8

-9.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$55.6 $55.6

-32.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$117 $117

-21.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$211 $211

-48.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,565 $1,565

-19.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,283 $1,283

-26.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,549 $2,549

-16.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$2,171 $2,171

-25.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,733 $2,733

81.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$2,066 $2,066

85.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$1,575 $1,575

79.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.31

-29.00%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Monterey Park, CA: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Monterey Park, CA

$1.3K 44.8% 35.4% $336

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Monterey Park, CA

$422 14.7% 21.8% $76

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Monterey Park, CA

$414 14.5% 43.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Monterey Park, CA

$439 15.3% 188% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Monterey Park, CA

$201 7% 50.9% $68

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Monterey Park, CA

$20 * 0.7% 79.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Monterey Park, CA

$86 3% 65.7% $34

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 $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 79% 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 $80.0 in Monterey Park, CA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $422 per month, with Montreal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 Monterey Park, CA

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

60,269

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Monterey Park, CA 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Monterey Park, 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 Monterey Park, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Monterey Park, CA. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Montreal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,565 in Monterey Park, CA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Monterey Park, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $2,866 in Monterey Park, CA – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,018 in Montreal versus $2,866 in Monterey Park, CA, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Montreal but tight or insufficient in Monterey Park, CA. 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 $2,018 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Montreal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Monterey Park, 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 42% less than in Monterey Park, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.