Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and New Westminster

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,536 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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 New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in New Westminster

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,536 in New Westminster, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
New Westminster $2,536

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,772 in New Westminster, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
New Westminster $3,772

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $5,008 in New Westminster, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
New Westminster $5,008

Montreal is about 19% cheaper than New Westminster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and New Westminster sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, New Westminster by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.53

$19.53 CA$27.29

-2.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$49.69 CA$69.4

46.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.20

$10.26 CA$14.33

6.04%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.55 CA$4.96

7.32%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.88 CA$2.63

3.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.65 CA$2.31

-4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$6.14 CA$8.58

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$5.56 CA$7.77

30.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$1.79 CA$2.50

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.37 CA$3.32

33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.49 CA$4.88

-5.16%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.23 CA$4.51

12.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.39

$10.95 CA$15.30

20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.15

$15.61 CA$21.81

-25.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.16

$27.23 CA$38.05

-49.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.91 CA$5.46

-15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.48 CA$2.07

-1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$3.78 CA$5.29

-10.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.71 CA$5.18

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.46 CA$3.44

-23.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.20 CA$3.07

-18.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.29 CA$3.20

7.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.85 CA$2.59

-14.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$15.50 CA$21.65

-27.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.66

$10.88 CA$15.21

-3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.04 CA$2.85

14.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.81 CA$3.93

3.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.46 CA$3.44

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$91.0 CA$127

-13.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.17 CA$3.04

50.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.81 CA$2.52

-20.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

$22.72 CA$31.75

47.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.32 CA$1.84

0.76%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$24.4K CA$34.1K

17.47%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$20.9K CA$29.2K

0.82%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$141 CA$196

-43.05%

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

$34.30 CA$47.93

$43.47 CA$60.7

-21.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$65.0 CA$90.9

-34.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.52

$33.49 CA$46.80

-7.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.12

$17.69 CA$24.72

9.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$11.52 CA$16.09

-2.52%

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

$525 CA$734

$794 CA$1,109

-33.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$8,694 CA$12.1K

87.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.0

$52.4 CA$73.2

10.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$41.09 CA$57.4

-7.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$80.0 CA$112

16.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$98.8 CA$138

11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,796

$1,624 CA$2,269

-20.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,365

$1,306 CA$1,824

-25.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,173

$2,668 CA$3,729

-14.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,326

$2,310 CA$3,228

-27.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,181

$4,751 CA$6,639

8.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,358

$4,037 CA$5,641

-5.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,195

$3,171 CA$4,431

-5.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.72

-5.08%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Westminster: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

New Westminster

$1.3K 51.5% 33.7% $329

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

New Westminster

$404 15.9% 15% $53

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

New Westminster

$286 11.3% 1.8% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

New Westminster

$249 9.8% 58.4% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

New Westminster

$122 4.8% 9.2% $12

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

New Westminster

$112 4.4% 12.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

New Westminster

$57 2.2% 5.4% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,624 in New Westminster. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in New Westminster, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $50 in New Westminster. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $404 in New Westminster – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

13:21 1:21 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

58,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal New Westminster 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
New Westminster

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 New Westminster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Westminster costs about 23% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,096 per month in Montreal and $3,803 in New Westminster. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Montreal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,285 there versus $1,624 in New Westminster.

Groceries cost about 15% more in New Westminster, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $50 in New Westminster. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,064 in Montreal and $2,536 in New Westminster. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Montreal. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Westminster makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.