Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Parksville

For one person, living is cheaper in Parksville: $1,106 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Parksville
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Parksville Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Parksville

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Parksville

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,106 in Parksville, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Parksville $1,106

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,823 in Parksville, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Parksville $2,823

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $4,540 in Parksville, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Parksville $4,540

Montreal costs about 83% more than Parksville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Parksville is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$17.27 CA$24.42

8.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$56.5 CA$79.9

24.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$10.43 CA$14.75

2.21%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.34 CA$4.72

14.97%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.03 CA$2.87

-5.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.64 CA$2.31

-6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$5.13 CA$7.25

21.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.66 CA$8.00

25.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.28 CA$3.22

1.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.09 CA$2.96

50.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.88 CA$4.07

11.46%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.28 CA$4.64

7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.76 CA$13.79

31.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$10.15 CA$14.34

12.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$19.58 CA$27.67

-31.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.13 CA$4.42

0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.31 CA$1.86

9.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$2.86 CA$4.04

21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.02 CA$4.27

1.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.59 CA$3.66

-26.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.01 CA$2.84

-11.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.05 CA$2.90

14.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.78 CA$2.52

-12.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$14.13 CA$19.98

-19.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$14.14 CA$19.99

-24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.46 CA$3.48

-7.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.05 CA$4.31

-7.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.38 CA$3.37

11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.62 CA$3.70

22.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.58 CA$2.23

-6.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$15.09 CA$21.34

117.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.26 CA$1.78

6.35%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$26.4K CA$37.3K

6.68%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$18.1K CA$25.6K

8.25%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$183 CA$259

-58.57%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$36.28 CA$51.3

-6.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$63.8 CA$90.2

-33.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$57.6 CA$81.4

-48.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$17.57 CA$24.85

15.42%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.46 CA$17.62

-10.51%

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

$507 CA$717

$850 CA$1,201

-40.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$11.9K CA$16.9K

34.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$47.85 CA$67.6

20.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$59.4 CA$84.0

-36.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$57.0 CA$80.6

61.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$87.2 CA$123

25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,302 CA$1,840

-3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,269 CA$3,208

-5.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$2,139 CA$3,024

-24.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,830 CA$2,588

109.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$2,833 CA$4,005

-0.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.87

-8.01%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Parksville: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Parksville

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Parksville

$345 31.2% 0.4% $1.2

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Parksville

$261 23.6% 9.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Parksville

$283 25.6% 86.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Parksville

$113 10.2% 15.2% $20

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Parksville

$20 * 1.8% 79.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Parksville

$83 7.5% 58.5% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,302 in Parksville. 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 0% higher in Parksville, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $57.0 in Parksville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $345 – making Parksville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Parksville

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

13,642

💱 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

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Between locations

Montreal Parksville 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Parksville

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 Parksville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 83% more than Parksville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,658 in Parksville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Parksville, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $57.0 in Parksville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Parksville, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Parksville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Parksville costs $1,106 versus $2,018 in Montreal. 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 Parksville. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.