Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Montpellier

For one person, living is cheaper in Montpellier: $1,948 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Montpellier
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Montpellier Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Montpellier

🇫🇷 France

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Montpellier

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,064 in Montreal versus $1,948 in Montpellier.

Montreal $2,064
Montpellier $1,948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,156 in Montreal versus $2,955 in Montpellier.

Montreal $3,156
Montpellier $2,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,247 in Montreal versus $3,962 in Montpellier.

Montreal $4,247
Montpellier $3,962

Living in Montreal is roughly 6% more expensive than in Montpellier, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Montreal 52% above, Montpellier 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.53

$16.70 €14.96

13.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$72.1 €64.6

1.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.20

$13.24 €11.86

-17.82%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.65 €3.27

4.38%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$3.05 €2.73

-36.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.98 €1.77

-20.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$5.75 €5.15

10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$4.58 €4.10

58.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.35 €1.21

65.19%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.20 €1.97

44.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$2.71 €2.43

22.14%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.72 €3.33

-2.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.39

$18.67 €16.72

-29.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.15

$13.81 €12.37

-16.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.16

$24.91 €22.31

-44.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$2.87 €2.57

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.46 €2.20

-40.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$2.85 €2.56

18.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.92 €3.51

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.32 €2.08

-18.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.98 €2.67

-39.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$1.74 €1.56

41.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$0.63 €0.57

150.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$14.24 €12.76

-20.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.66

$7.64 €6.84

37.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$3.65 €3.27

-35.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.74 €2.46

6.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.03 €1.81

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$2.08 €1.87

3704.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$5.04 €4.51

-35.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.63 €1.46

-11.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

$33.42 €29.93

0.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$2.13 €1.91

-37.56%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$34.4K €30.8K

-16.83%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$39.0K €34.9K

-45.84%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$220 €197

-63.62%

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

$34.30 CA$47.93

$16.67 €14.93

105.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$32.14 €28.78

33.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.52

$35.24 €31.56

-11.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.12

$14.08 €12.61

37.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$13.79 €12.35

-18.56%

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

$525 CA$734

$731 €655

-28.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$13.2K €11.8K

23.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.0

$89.0 €79.7

-34.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$63.8 €57.1

-40.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$102 €91.5

-8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$177 €159

-37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,796

$847 €759

51.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,365

$735 €659

32.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,173

$1,576 €1,411

44.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,326

$1,231 €1,103

35.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,181

$4,909 €4,396

4.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,358

$3,599 €3,224

6.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,195

$2,777 €2,487

8.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

3.81

17.59%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montpellier: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Montpellier

$735 37.8% 24.7% $241

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Montpellier

$388 19.9% 10.4% $36

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Montpellier

$275 14.1% 5.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Montpellier

$269 13.8% 71% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Montpellier

$194 10% 44.2% $60

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Montpellier

$23 1.2% 76.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Montpellier

$63 3.2% 17.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,285 in Montreal and $847 in Montpellier. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 8% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $72 in Montpellier. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $388, with Montreal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇫🇷 Montpellier

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

01:56 1:56 AM

6 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

302,454

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Montpellier 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Montpellier

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 Montpellier: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montpellier is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 8% 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: $1,285 in Montreal versus $847 in Montpellier. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $525 in Montreal versus $731 in Montpellier. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Montpellier runs roughly 97% less than in Montreal. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Montpellier gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Montpellier are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Montpellier wins on affordability, Montreal on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.