Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and St. Albert, AB

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,167 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
St. Albert, AB $1,167

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $2,457 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
St. Albert, AB $2,457

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $3,747 in St. Albert, AB, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
St. Albert, AB $3,747

Montreal costs about 73% more than St. Albert, AB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while St. Albert, AB is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$19.29 CA$27.27

-2.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$69.2 CA$97.9

1.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.90 CA$14.00

7.68%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.81 CA$5.38

0.79%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.05 CA$2.90

-6.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.00 CA$2.82

-23.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$5.03 CA$7.11

23.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$5.64 CA$7.97

25.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.68 CA$2.37

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.18 CA$3.07

44.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$3.04 CA$4.30

5.59%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.46 CA$4.89

1.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$11.42 CA$16.14

12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$11.34 CA$16.03

1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$18.19 CA$25.71

-26.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.22 CA$5.96

-25.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.39 CA$1.96

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$4.29 CA$6.06

-19.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.96 CA$5.59

-22.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$2.63 CA$3.72

-27.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$2.64 CA$3.73

-32.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.57 CA$3.64

-8.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.56 CA$2.20

-0.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$13.93 CA$19.70

-18.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.72 CA$16.57

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.43 CA$3.43

-6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.03 CA$2.88

31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$60.6 CA$85.6

27.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.93 CA$4.14

9.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.36 CA$1.93

8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$20.90 CA$29.54

57.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.10 CA$1.56

21.82%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$27.3K CA$38.6K

3.22%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$19.5K CA$27.5K

0.85%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$160 CA$227

-52.60%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$38.86 CA$54.9

-12.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$52.6 CA$74.4

-19.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$40.02 CA$56.6

-25.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$12.66 CA$17.90

-11.93%

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

$507 CA$717

$748 CA$1,057

-32.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$9,306 CA$13.2K

72.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$55.7 CA$78.8

3.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$39.02 CA$55.2

-3.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$83.3 CA$118

10.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$110 CA$156

-0.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$1,334 CA$1,886

60.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$1,124 CA$1,589

43.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,488 CA$3,517

99.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$2,492 CA$3,523

53.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,157 CA$4,462

-10.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.51

-0.67%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

St. Albert, AB

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8% 3.8% $13

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2% 1.9% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6% 65.4% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1% 2.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7% 20.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6% 25.5% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 12% higher in St. Albert, AB, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal versus $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Montreal vs $360 in St. Albert, AB – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🕒 Local time

01:31 1:31 AM

23:31 11:31 PM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

68,232

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal St. Albert, AB 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
St. Albert, AB

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 St. Albert, AB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 73% more than St. Albert, AB, 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,751 in St. Albert, AB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% 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 $69.0 in St. Albert, AB. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Montreal at $2,018. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. St. Albert, AB costs $1,167 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 St. Albert, AB. 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.