Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Sherbrooke

For one person, living is cheaper in Sherbrooke: $1,641 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Sherbrooke
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Sherbrooke Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Sherbrooke

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Sherbrooke

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,641 in Sherbrooke, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Sherbrooke $1,641

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,562 in Sherbrooke, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Sherbrooke $2,562

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,484 in Sherbrooke, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Sherbrooke $3,484

Montreal costs about 23% more than Sherbrooke, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Sherbrooke sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Sherbrooke by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$17.98 CA$25.42

4.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$66.2 CA$93.6

10.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$10.67 CA$15.08

-1.22%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$3.21 CA$4.53

23.68%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.86 CA$2.63

4.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.81 CA$2.57

-13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$5.51 CA$7.79

16.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$5.03 CA$7.12

43.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$2.62 CA$3.70

-11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$2.80 CA$3.96

13.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$3.63 CA$5.13

-12.12%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$3.14 CA$4.44

17.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$11.88 CA$16.80

11.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$10.87 CA$15.36

7.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$15.77 CA$22.30

-11.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$4.08 CA$5.76

-23.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.50 CA$2.12

-3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$3.85 CA$5.44

-12.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$3.36 CA$4.75

-7.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.75 CA$2.48

10.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$2.62 CA$3.71

-30.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$1.75 CA$2.48

34.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.73 CA$2.44

-13.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$12.25 CA$17.32

-9.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$11.91 CA$16.83

-11.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$3.83 CA$5.41

-42.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$3.79 CA$5.36

-25.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$63.8 CA$90.2

24.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$3.74 CA$5.28

-13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.88 CA$1.24

68.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$32.68 CA$46.20

-1.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.30 CA$1.83

4.62%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$27.7K CA$39.2K

-0.19%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$21.2K CA$29.9K

0.12%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$69.3 CA$98.0

11.14%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$43.94 CA$62.1

-22.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$49.32 CA$69.7

-14.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$27.95 CA$39.51

10.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$6.59 CA$9.32

198.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$10.44 CA$14.76

9.87%

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

$506 CA$716

$875 CA$1,237

-42.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$9,496 CA$13.4K

70.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$65.9 CA$93.1

-13.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$31.53 CA$44.57

20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$61.1 CA$86.3

50.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$122 CA$173

-10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$825 CA$1,166

49.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$585 CA$827

66.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$1,287 CA$1,820

69.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$1,011 CA$1,429

59.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$2,220 CA$3,138

130.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$1,720 CA$2,431

117.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$2,775 CA$3,922

6.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.76

-5.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sherbrooke: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Sherbrooke

$585 35.7% 40.1% $392

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Sherbrooke

$369 22.5% 5.1% $18

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Sherbrooke

$267 16.3% 8.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Sherbrooke

$163 9.9% 6% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Sherbrooke

$126 7.7% 5.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Sherbrooke

$82 5% 17.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Sherbrooke

$49 3% 9.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $825 in Sherbrooke. 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 2% 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $66.0 in Sherbrooke. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $369 in Sherbrooke – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Sherbrooke

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

172,950

💱 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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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 Sherbrooke: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 23% more than Sherbrooke, 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $2,461 in Sherbrooke. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% 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 $70.0 in Montreal and $66.0 in Sherbrooke. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sherbrooke, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Sherbrooke it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sherbrooke costs $1,641 versus $2,018 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 Sherbrooke. 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.