Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and San Dimas, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,562 in San Dimas, CA, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
124

Cost of Living Index in San Dimas, CA
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San Dimas, CA Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

San Dimas, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in San Dimas, CA

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 San Dimas, CA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $2,562 in San Dimas, CA, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
San Dimas, CA $2,562

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $3,689 in San Dimas, CA, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
San Dimas, CA $3,689

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $4,816 in San Dimas, CA, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
San Dimas, CA $4,816

Montreal is about 22% cheaper than San Dimas, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and San Dimas, CA sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, San Dimas, CA by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.53

$12.15 $12.15

58.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$50.7 $50.7

48.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$9.15 $9.15

16.17%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$5.85 $5.85

-32.82%

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

$1.92 CA$2.74

$3.42 $3.42

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$2.38 $2.38

-37.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$7.58 $7.58

-16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.25

$8.08 $8.08

-11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.04 $1.04

113.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.37

$4.00 $4.00

-23.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$4.85 $4.85

-39.38%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.04

$4.65 $4.65

-24.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.80

$12.87 $12.87

2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$20.05 $20.05

-43.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$15.40 $15.40

-10.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$4.92 $4.92

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.67 $1.67

-13.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$5.46 $5.46

-40.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$5.91 $5.91

-51.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$3.73 $3.73

-50.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$2.31 $2.31

-21.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$2.03 $2.03

19.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.92 $1.92

-20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.33

$11.86 $11.86

-3.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.77

$15.21 $15.21

-31.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.98 $1.98

12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$4.26 $4.26

-33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$2.00 $2.00

29.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$6.21 $6.21

-47.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.71 $1.71

-13.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.11

$33.65 $33.65

-1.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.52 $1.52

-10.53%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$36.6K $36.6K

-25.02%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$27.5K $27.5K

-27.23%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$170 $170

-55.29%

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

$34.68 CA$49.45

$66.2 $66.2

-47.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$60.5 $60.5

-29.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.27

$41.71 $41.71

-30.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.98

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$14.96 $14.96

-25.07%

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

$505 CA$720

$1,917 $1,917

-73.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$25.6K $25.6K

-37.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$58.4 $58.4

0.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$39.64 $39.64

-4.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$93.2 $93.2

-0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$145 $145

-26.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$1,593 $1,593

-22.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,406

$1,470 $1,470

-32.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,997

$2,483 $2,483

-15.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$2,341 $2,341

-31.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,191

$2,666 $2,666

89.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,461

$2,437 $2,437

57.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,164

$3,989 $3,989

-26.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

6.39

-30.20%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for San Dimas, CA: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

San Dimas, CA

$1.5K 53.6% 49% $484

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

San Dimas, CA

$455 16.6% 32.5% $112

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

San Dimas, CA

$272 9.9% 7.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

San Dimas, CA

$297 10.8% 93.4% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

San Dimas, CA

$151 5.5% 13.8% $18

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

San Dimas, CA

$23 * 0.8% 76.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

San Dimas, CA

$72 2.6% 39.5% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $1,593 in San Dimas, CA. 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 37% higher in San Dimas, CA, 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $51.0 in San Dimas, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Montreal vs $455 in San Dimas, CA – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇺🇸 San Dimas, CA

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

22:45 10:45 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

35,714

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.701 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 12, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal San Dimas, CA 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
San Dimas, CA

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 San Dimas, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Dimas, CA costs about 28% 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 $3,005 per month in Montreal and $3,843 in San Dimas, CA. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $51.0 in San Dimas, CA. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in San Dimas, CA, 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 $2,003, than in San Dimas, CA at $2,562. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Dimas, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $2,562 in San Dimas, CA. 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, San Dimas, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.