Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Richmond Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,769 in Richmond Hill, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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 Richmond Hill
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Richmond Hill Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Richmond Hill

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Richmond Hill

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,769 in Richmond Hill, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Richmond Hill $2,769

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,844 in Richmond Hill, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Richmond Hill $3,844

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $4,920 in Richmond Hill, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Richmond Hill $4,920

Montreal is about 25% cheaper than Richmond Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Richmond Hill sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Richmond Hill by 103%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$18.10 CA$25.40

4.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$70.1 CA$98.4

4.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$10.56 CA$14.82

3.03%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$3.69 CA$5.18

3.25%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$1.79 CA$2.51

8.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.47 CA$2.06

7.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$5.87 CA$8.24

8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$5.58 CA$7.84

30.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.74 CA$3.84

-18.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.71 CA$3.80

16.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$2.16 CA$3.03

53.24%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$4.46 CA$6.26

-18.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$10.95 CA$15.36

20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$11.09 CA$15.57

4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$12.85 CA$18.04

6.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$3.63 CA$5.10

-9.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.34 CA$1.89

8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$3.42 CA$4.80

-1.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$4.00 CA$5.61

-21.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$2.04 CA$2.87

-7.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.03 CA$2.85

-11.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$2.33 CA$3.26

6.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.47 CA$2.07

7.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$13.36 CA$18.75

-15.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$12.80 CA$17.96

-18.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$1.83 CA$2.57

27.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$2.23 CA$3.14

30.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$3.38 CA$4.75

-22.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$157 CA$220

-49.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$2.97 CA$4.17

9.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.08 CA$1.52

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$18.89 CA$26.51

76.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.23 CA$1.72

8.13%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$27.5K CA$38.5K

4.28%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$21.4K CA$30.0K

-1.38%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$137 CA$192

-41.49%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$34.31 CA$48.15

-0.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$46.63 CA$65.5

-8.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$45.55 CA$63.9

-31.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

$17.78 CA$24.96

9.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$10.78 CA$15.13

4.17%

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

$525 CA$737

$342 CA$480

53.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$10.8K CA$15.1K

51.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$44.38 CA$62.3

30.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$38.78 CA$54.4

-1.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$93.6 CA$131

-0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$103 CA$145

6.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$1,769 CA$2,483

-27.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$1,560 CA$2,190

-37.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$2,550 CA$3,579

-10.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$2,169 CA$3,045

-23.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

$6,499 CA$9,120

-20.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

$5,341 CA$7,496

-28.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$3,159 CA$4,433

-4.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.55

-1.54%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Richmond Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Richmond Hill

$1.6K 56.4% 59.8% $584

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Richmond Hill

$344 12.4% 2% $7.1

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Richmond Hill

$274 9.9% 5.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Richmond Hill

$218 7.9% 38.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Richmond Hill

$126 4.6% 6.6% $8.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Richmond Hill

$179 6.5% 78.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Richmond Hill

$67 2.4% 25.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,769 in Richmond Hill. 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 Richmond Hill, 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 $70 in Richmond Hill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $344 – making Richmond Hill the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Richmond Hill

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

202,022

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Montreal Richmond Hill 500 km

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Montreal
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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 Richmond Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Richmond Hill costs about 34% more than Montreal, 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $4,153 in Richmond Hill. 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 $1,769 in Richmond Hill.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $70 in Richmond Hill. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,064 in Montreal and $2,769 in Richmond Hill. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,064 in Montreal to $2,769 in Richmond Hill. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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