Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and North Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,803 in North Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
134

Cost of Living Index in North Vancouver
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North Vancouver Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in North Vancouver

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,803 in North Vancouver, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
North Vancouver $2,803

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $4,166 in North Vancouver, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
North Vancouver $4,166

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $5,528 in North Vancouver, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
North Vancouver $5,528

Montreal is about 26% cheaper than North Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and North Vancouver sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, North Vancouver by 106%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.52

$21.67 CA$30.28

-12.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$64.9 CA$90.7

12.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.20

$9.51 CA$13.28

14.41%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.33

$4.33 CA$6.04

-12.01%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.36 CA$3.30

-17.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.78 CA$2.49

-11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.90

$4.86 CA$6.79

31.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.15

$6.24 CA$8.71

16.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.02 CA$2.83

10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.43

$2.76 CA$3.85

14.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.62

$3.38 CA$4.72

-2.07%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.17 CA$4.42

14.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.38

$13.89 CA$19.41

-5.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.15

$13.64 CA$19.06

-15.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.16

$15.90 CA$22.21

-13.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$4.19 CA$5.85

-21.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.70

$4.33 CA$6.05

-22.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.05 CA$5.66

-22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.93 CA$4.09

-35.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.50

$2.80 CA$3.91

-36.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.45

$2.82 CA$3.94

-12.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$2.16 CA$3.02

-26.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.77

$14.36 CA$20.06

-21.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.66

$14.05 CA$19.63

-25.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.26

$2.06 CA$2.87

13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$2.89 CA$4.04

0.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.57 CA$3.60

1.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$98.3 CA$137

-19.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.55

$2.72 CA$3.80

19.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.53 CA$2.14

-5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

$27.76 CA$38.78

20.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.28 CA$1.78

3.91%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$27.8K CA$38.8K

2.97%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

-0.04%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$129 CA$180

-37.82%

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

$34.30 CA$47.92

$38.44 CA$53.7

-10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$52.5 CA$73.4

-18.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.51

$27.78 CA$38.81

12.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.11

$24.10 CA$33.66

-19.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.69

$11.90 CA$16.62

-5.63%

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

$525 CA$734

$1,071 CA$1,496

-50.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

50.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.0

$65.2 CA$91.0

-10.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.2

$38.34 CA$53.6

-0.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$82.4 CA$115

13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$111 CA$155

-0.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,795

$1,947 CA$2,720

-33.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,364

$1,578 CA$2,204

-38.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,173

$3,343 CA$4,670

-32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,326

$2,744 CA$3,834

-39.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,180

$8,186 CA$11.4K

-37.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,357

$5,846 CA$8,168

-34.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,194

$3,112 CA$4,347

-3.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.69

-4.48%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for North Vancouver: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

North Vancouver

$1.6K 56.3% 61.5% $601

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

North Vancouver

$395 14.1% 12.4% $43

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

North Vancouver

$307 11% 5.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

North Vancouver

$220 7.8% 39.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

North Vancouver

$134 4.8% 1% $1.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

North Vancouver

$119 4.2% 18.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

North Vancouver

$52 1.8% 3.8% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,947 in North Vancouver. 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 4% higher in North Vancouver, 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 $65 in North Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $395 in North Vancouver – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 North Vancouver

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

48,200

💱 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 North Vancouver 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
North Vancouver

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 North Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Vancouver costs about 36% 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 $4,205 in North Vancouver. 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 $1,947 in North Vancouver.

Groceries cost about 12% more in North Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $65 in North Vancouver. 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 $2,803 in North Vancouver. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,064 versus $2,803 in North Vancouver. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, North Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.