Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Oakville

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,641 in Oakville, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Oakville
Learn more

Oakville Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Oakville

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Oakville

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,641 in Oakville, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Oakville $2,641

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,848 in Oakville, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Oakville $3,848

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $5,054 in Oakville, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Oakville $5,054

Montreal is about 22% cheaper than Oakville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Montreal and Oakville sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Oakville by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$14.43 CA$20.39

30.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$71.8 CA$102

1.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$9.34 CA$13.20

12.85%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.84 CA$5.42

3.39%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.20 CA$3.10

-11.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.74 CA$2.45

-9.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.83 CA$8.24

10.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.48 CA$9.17

11.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.56 CA$3.62

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$3.30 CA$4.67

-3.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.50 CA$4.94

-8.86%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$4.18 CA$5.91

-11.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$10.42 CA$14.74

27.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$11.95 CA$16.90

-2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$19.22 CA$27.17

-27.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.34 CA$4.72

-5.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.93 CA$2.72

-24.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.28 CA$4.64

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$2.93 CA$4.14

6.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.34 CA$3.31

-17.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.60 CA$3.68

-29.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.25 CA$3.18

4.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.73 CA$2.45

-13.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.25 CA$20.14

-21.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$13.23 CA$18.71

-19.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$3.20 CA$4.52

-30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.41 CA$3.41

17.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.77 CA$3.92

-5.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$97.2 CA$137

-18.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.16 CA$1.64

17.24%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$28.1K CA$39.7K

-1.56%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$21.3K CA$30.1K

-0.43%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$91.0 CA$129

-15.30%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$28.41 CA$40.16

20.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$45.95 CA$65.0

-8.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$42.03 CA$59.4

-26.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$9.76 CA$13.80

17.52%

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

$506 CA$716

$1,154 CA$1,632

-56.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$16.6K CA$23.5K

-2.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$68.2 CA$96.3

-15.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$93.2 CA$132

-59.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$128 CA$181

-28.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$107 CA$152

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,859 CA$2,628

-33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$1,497 CA$2,116

-34.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$3,590 CA$5,075

-39.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$2,384 CA$3,371

-32.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$4,866 CA$6,879

5.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$6,100 CA$8,623

-38.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,090 CA$4,369

-4.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.26

-14.83%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Oakville: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Oakville

$1.5K 56.7% 53.3% $520

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Oakville

$383 14.5% 9.2% $32

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Oakville

$247 9.4% 14.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Oakville

$165 6.3% 7.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Oakville

$178 6.8% 33.5% $45

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Oakville

$108 * 4.1% 8% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Oakville

$62 2.3% 14.5% $7.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $1,859 in Oakville. 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 5% higher in Oakville, 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 $73.0 in Montreal versus $72.0 in Oakville. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $383 in Oakville – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Oakville

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

193,832

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Oakville 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Oakville

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 Oakville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oakville costs about 28% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,962 in Oakville. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Oakville, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $72.0 in Oakville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Oakville at $2,641. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oakville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,641 in Oakville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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