Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Red Deer

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,225 in Red Deer, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Red Deer
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Red Deer Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Red Deer

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,225

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Red Deer

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $2,225 in Red Deer, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Red Deer $2,225

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $3,182 in Red Deer, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Red Deer $3,182

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $4,138 in Red Deer, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Red Deer $4,138

Montreal is about 7% cheaper than Red Deer, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Red Deer sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Red Deer by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$19.05 CA$26.93

-1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$59.2 CA$83.7

23.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$11.26 CA$15.92

-6.39%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$5.39 CA$7.62

-26.35%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.05 CA$2.89

-5.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$2.12 CA$2.99

-25.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.46 CA$7.71

17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$6.77 CA$9.57

6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.76 CA$2.49

31.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.78 CA$3.93

14.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.42 CA$4.84

-6.73%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.38 CA$4.77

8.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$10.05 CA$14.21

31.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$16.72 CA$23.63

-30.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$17.42 CA$24.63

-19.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$6.90 CA$9.75

-54.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.69 CA$2.38

-14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$2.43 CA$3.44

39.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$5.57 CA$7.88

-44.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$5.46 CA$7.72

-64.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.18 CA$3.08

-16.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$3.14 CA$4.44

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$2.75 CA$3.89

-45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$15.58 CA$22.03

-28.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$13.93 CA$19.70

-23.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$6.20 CA$8.77

-54.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.18 CA$3.08

20.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$51.3 CA$72.5

54.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.69 CA$3.80

20.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.38 CA$1.95

7.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$23.06 CA$32.60

39.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.07 CA$1.51

27.10%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$24.8K CA$35.1K

11.30%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$20.6K CA$29.1K

2.84%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$177 CA$250

-56.35%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$64.5 CA$91.1

-47.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$64.0 CA$90.5

-34.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$36.34 CA$51.4

-15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$10.50 CA$14.84

87.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$10.48 CA$14.81

9.45%

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

$506 CA$716

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$50.4 CA$71.3

13.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$34.10 CA$48.21

11.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$76.7 CA$108

19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$106 CA$149

3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$1,037 CA$1,467

19.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$937 CA$1,325

4.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,548 CA$2,189

40.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,322 CA$1,869

21.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,712 CA$3,834

88.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,686 CA$3,798

39.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$3,043 CA$4,302

-2.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.8

-22.76%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Red Deer: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Red Deer

$937 42.1% 4% $39

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Red Deer

$427 * 19.2% 21.7% $76

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Red Deer

$308 13.9% 6.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Red Deer

$305 13.7% 98.9% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Red Deer

$120 5.4% 10.1% $14

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Red Deer

$70 3.1% 30.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Red Deer

$57 2.6% 6.6% $3.5

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 $1,037 in Red Deer. 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 3% higher in Red Deer, 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 $59.0 in Red Deer. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $427 in Red Deer – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Red Deer

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

100,418

💱 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 Red Deer 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Red Deer

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 Red Deer: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Red Deer costs about 8% 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $3,338 in Red Deer. 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.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Red Deer, 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 Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,059, than in Red Deer at $2,225. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Red Deer it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,225 in Red Deer. 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, Red Deer makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.