Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Peterborough, Canada

For one person, living costs are similar in Montreal and in Peterborough: $2,067 and $2,107 a month, rent and utilities included.

Montreal, Canada
Peterborough, Canada
Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,067
/mo nomad
Peterborough
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,107
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Peterborough

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Montreal vs $2,107 in Peterborough, rent included.

  • Montreal $2,067
  • Peterborough $2,107

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Montreal vs $3,050 in Peterborough, rent included.

  • Montreal $3,179
  • Peterborough $3,050

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Montreal vs $3,993 in Peterborough, rent included.

  • Montreal $4,291
  • Peterborough $3,993

Montreal and Peterborough have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Montreal and Peterborough sit above the global median – Montreal by 53%, Peterborough by 56%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.89 CA$26.36
$11.60 CA$16.19
62.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.6 CA$101
$72.0 CA$101
0.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.79 CA$15.06
$10.75 CA$15.00
0.37%
Cappuccino
$3.98 CA$5.55
$3.83 CA$5.35
3.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 CA$2.81
$1.81 CA$2.52
11.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 CA$2.28
$1.47 CA$2.05
10.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.32 CA$8.82
$5.28 CA$7.37
19.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.06 CA$9.85
$5.82 CA$8.12
21.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.33 CA$3.26
$2.59 CA$3.61
-10.04%
White Bread (500g)
$3.25 CA$4.53
$2.45 CA$3.42
32.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.26 CA$4.55
$2.48 CA$3.47
31.45%
Eggs
$3.48 CA$4.85
$3.26 CA$4.55
6.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.73 CA$19.16
$10.86 CA$15.16
26.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.48 CA$16.01
$11.11 CA$15.51
3.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.26 CA$19.90
$12.80 CA$17.87
11.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.52 CA$4.91
$3.35 CA$4.68
5.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 CA$2.03
$1.44 CA$2.01
1.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.41 CA$4.76
$3.51 CA$4.89
-2.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.20 CA$4.47
$4.13 CA$5.77
-22.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 CA$2.70
$1.63 CA$2.27
19.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 CA$2.49
$2.31 CA$3.22
-22.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.52 CA$3.52
$2.27 CA$3.17
11.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 CA$2.21
$1.49 CA$2.07
6.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.51 CA$16.05
$11.57 CA$16.14
-0.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.57 CA$14.75
$12.62 CA$17.61
-16.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 CA$3.27
$2.42 CA$3.38
-2.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 CA$4.04
$1.63 CA$2.27
77.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.61 CA$3.65
$2.46 CA$3.43
6.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.5 CA$109
$54.3 CA$75.8
44.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 CA$4.43
$3.09 CA$4.31
2.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 CA$2.08
$1.25 CA$1.75
19.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.49 CA$46.73
$21.57 CA$30.09
55.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.90
$1.18 CA$1.65
15.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K CA$39.1K
$26.4K CA$36.8K
6.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K CA$29.5K
$21.1K CA$29.4K
0.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.6 CA$108
$140 CA$196
-44.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.63 CA$49.71
$35.14 CA$49.02
1.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.73 CA$61.0
$44.89 CA$62.6
-2.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.07 CA$41.96
$37.59 CA$52.5
-20.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.97 CA$27.86
$14.21 CA$19.83
40.53%
Cinema Ticket
$11.27 CA$15.73
$11.50 CA$16.05
-2.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$522 CA$728
$344 CA$480
51.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.8K CA$24.8K
$15.6K CA$21.8K
14.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 CA$82.3
$46.52 CA$64.9
26.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.01 CA$54.4
$37.93 CA$52.9
2.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.8 CA$139
$88.1 CA$123
13.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$153
$73.9 CA$103
48.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,298 CA$1,812
$1,376 CA$1,920
-5.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$970 CA$1,354
$1,083 CA$1,510
-10.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,323 CA$3,242
$2,057 CA$2,870
12.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,689 CA$2,357
$1,631 CA$2,276
3.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,004 CA$6,981
$6,479 CA$9,040
-22.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,736 CA$5,213
$6,365 CA$8,881
-41.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Peterborough
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,943 CA$4,106
$3,017 CA$4,209
-2.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.51
4.55
-0.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Peterborough: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$970
Peterborough
$1.1K 11.6% $112
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$357
Peterborough
$337 5.7% $20
Eating Out
Montreal
$292
Peterborough
$222 23.8% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$157
Peterborough
$220 40.4% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$138
Peterborough
$111 19.8% $27
Getting Around
Montreal
$100
Peterborough
$74 26.1% $26
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$53
Peterborough
$61 15.2% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,298 in Montreal versus $1,376 in Peterborough. 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 $72 in Peterborough. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $337 – making Peterborough the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇨🇦 Peterborough
🕒 Local time
15:42 3:42 PM
15:42 3:42 PM
Same time as Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
81,032
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.717 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Peterborough 400 km
From you
  • Montreal
  • Peterborough

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 Peterborough: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Montreal and in Peterborough?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,100 per month in Montreal and $3,161 in Peterborough. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Montreal compared to Peterborough?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,298 in Montreal and $1,376 in Peterborough. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Are groceries more expensive in Montreal or in Peterborough?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Peterborough – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
How expensive is transport in Montreal compared to Peterborough?
Public transport costs about 31% less in Peterborough. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Montreal or in Peterborough?
$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,067 in Montreal and $2,107 in Peterborough. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or Peterborough?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,067 versus $2,107 in Peterborough. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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