Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Saint John, New Brunswick

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,954 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Saint John, New Brunswick

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 Saint John, New Brunswick actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $2,938 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $3,922 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922

Montreal costs about 5% more than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Saint John, New Brunswick sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Saint John, New Brunswick by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$18.44 CA$26.08

2.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$61.0 CA$86.2

20.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.83 CA$15.31

-2.68%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$2.96 CA$4.18

34.12%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.77 CA$2.50

9.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.07 CA$1.52

46.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$4.49 CA$6.35

42.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.00 CA$7.06

44.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.23 CA$3.16

4.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.81 CA$3.97

13.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$2.99 CA$4.23

6.69%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.56 CA$5.03

3.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$13.47 CA$19.05

-1.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$12.04 CA$17.02

-2.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$12.83 CA$18.14

8.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$5.00 CA$7.07

-37.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.48 CA$2.10

-2.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$4.16 CA$5.88

-18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$4.03 CA$5.70

-22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$2.03 CA$2.86

-4.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.21 CA$3.12

-17.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$2.48 CA$3.50

-4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.38 CA$1.95

8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$14.23 CA$20.12

-21.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$9.67 CA$13.67

9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.78 CA$2.52

24.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.08 CA$2.93

36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$2.09 CA$2.95

25.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$56.4 CA$79.8

40.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$2.81 CA$3.97

14.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.05 CA$1.48

40.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$17.60 CA$24.89

83.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.28 CA$1.80

6.25%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$26.4K CA$37.3K

4.84%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$21.4K CA$30.3K

-1.10%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$122 CA$173

-36.89%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$42.20 CA$59.7

-19.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$64.5 CA$91.2

-34.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$53.3 CA$75.4

-42.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$35.52 CA$50.2

-44.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$12.61 CA$17.83

-9.04%

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

$506 CA$716

$372 CA$526

36.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$11.3K CA$16.0K

43.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$50.5 CA$71.4

13.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$35.95 CA$50.8

5.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$101 CA$143

-8.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$107 CA$151

2.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$966 CA$1,366

27.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$826 CA$1,168

18.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,609 CA$2,275

35.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,353 CA$1,913

18.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,035 CA$2,876

151.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$2,131 CA$3,013

75.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$2,596 CA$3,670

13.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.69

-4.48%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3% 15.4% $151

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2% 1.3% $4.7

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3% 10.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7% 49.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8% 1.1% $1.4

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7% 27.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4% 46.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 14% higher in Montreal, 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 $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $356 in Saint John, New Brunswick – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

10:31 10:31 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

70,063

💱 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

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Montreal Saint John, New Brunswick 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Montreal vs Saint John, New Brunswick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 5% more than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,930 in Saint John, New Brunswick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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 Saint John, New Brunswick, where all-in costs run around $1,954, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Saint John, New Brunswick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saint John, New Brunswick costs $1,954 versus $2,059 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 Saint John, New Brunswick. 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.