Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Niagara Falls

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,276 in Niagara Falls, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Niagara Falls outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Niagara Falls
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Niagara Falls Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Niagara Falls

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Niagara Falls

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,276 in Niagara Falls, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Niagara Falls $2,276

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,209 in Niagara Falls, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Niagara Falls $3,209

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $4,142 in Niagara Falls, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Niagara Falls $4,142

Montreal is about 9% cheaper than Niagara Falls, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Niagara Falls sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Niagara Falls by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.52

$14.41 CA$20.13

31.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$56.6 CA$79.0

28.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.20

$12.53 CA$17.51

-13.17%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$3.81 CA$5.32

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.11 CA$2.95

-8.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.74 CA$2.43

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$5.43 CA$7.58

17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$6.27 CA$8.76

15.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.17 CA$3.04

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.43

$3.07 CA$4.29

3.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.46 CA$4.83

-4.34%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$4.31 CA$6.03

-15.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.38

$10.49 CA$14.66

25.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.15

$11.67 CA$16.31

-0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.16

$17.78 CA$24.85

-22.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$4.27 CA$5.97

-22.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.11 CA$1.55

31.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.70

$3.29 CA$4.59

2.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.65 CA$5.10

-13.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.40 CA$3.35

-21.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.50

$2.72 CA$3.80

-34.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.26 CA$3.16

9.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.76 CA$2.46

-10.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$14.18 CA$19.81

-20.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.66

$12.68 CA$17.71

-17.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.90 CA$4.06

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.48 CA$3.47

17.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.46 CA$3.43

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$67.6 CA$94.4

17.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.55

$2.89 CA$4.04

12.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.28 CA$1.79

12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

$22.27 CA$31.12

50.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.15 CA$1.61

15.65%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$26.8K CA$37.4K

6.96%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$21.7K CA$30.3K

-2.70%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$178 CA$249

-55.10%

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

$34.30 CA$47.92

$34.64 CA$48.39

-0.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$49.59 CA$69.3

-13.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.51

$17.16 CA$23.97

81.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.11

$28.91 CA$40.39

-32.86%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$10.52 CA$14.70

6.75%

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

$525 CA$734

$516 CA$721

1.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$19.4K CA$27.1K

-15.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.0

$67.5 CA$94.3

-14.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.2

$52.2 CA$72.9

-27.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$82.8 CA$116

12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$86.0 CA$120

28.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,795

$1,325 CA$1,852

-3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,364

$1,131 CA$1,580

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,173

$1,960 CA$2,738

15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,326

$1,626 CA$2,271

2.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,180

$4,153 CA$5,802

23.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,357

$3,656 CA$5,108

4.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,194

$3,057 CA$4,271

-1.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.54

-19.13%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Niagara Falls: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Niagara Falls

$1.1K 49.7% 15.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Niagara Falls

$374 16.4% 6.4% $23

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Niagara Falls

$254 11.1% 12.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Niagara Falls

$263 11.5% 67% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Niagara Falls

$130 5.7% 3.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Niagara Falls

$87 3.8% 13.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Niagara Falls

$38 1.7% 28.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,325 in Niagara Falls. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $57 in Niagara Falls. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $374 in Niagara Falls – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Niagara Falls

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

93,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Montreal Niagara Falls 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Niagara Falls

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 Niagara Falls: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Niagara Falls costs about 10% 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 $3,414 in Niagara Falls. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,285 in Montreal and $1,325 in Niagara Falls. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Niagara Falls, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $57 in Niagara Falls. 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 $2,276 in Niagara Falls. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,064 in Montreal to $2,276 in Niagara Falls. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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