Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and St.James

For one person, living is cheaper in St.James: $921 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in St.James
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St.James Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

St.James

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in St.James

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Montreal vs $921 in St.James, rent included.

Montreal $2,067
St.James $921

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Montreal vs $1,598 in St.James, rent included.

Montreal $3,179
St.James $1,598

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Montreal vs $2,275 in St.James, rent included.

Montreal $4,291
St.James $2,275

Montreal costs about 124% more than St.James, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 53% above the global median, while St.James is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$10.22 TTD 67.9

84.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$87.6 TTD 582

-17.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$8.85 TTD 58.8

21.92%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$3.71 TTD 24.63

7.28%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.10 TTD 7.30

83.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$0.71 TTD 4.70

129.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$2.18 TTD 14.45

189.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$3.60 TTD 23.90

96.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.49 TTD 16.53

-6.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$2.49 TTD 16.53

30.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$2.92 TTD 19.40

11.64%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$4.45 TTD 29.55

-21.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$6.64 TTD 44.09

106.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$10.08 TTD 67.0

13.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$11.66 TTD 77.5

22.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$5.69 TTD 37.80

-38.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$3.12 TTD 20.72

-53.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$3.75 TTD 24.93

-9.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$4.42 TTD 29.35

-27.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.13 TTD 14.18

-8.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$1.94 TTD 12.87

-8.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$1.83 TTD 12.16

37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.35 TTD 8.98

17.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

$5.85 TTD 38.86

96.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$19.15 TTD 127

-44.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$2.34 TTD 15.51

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$3.04 TTD 20.20

-4.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$1.01 TTD 6.72

213.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$1.45 TTD 9.61

2.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

$21.99 TTD 146

52.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.18 TTD 7.84

15.25%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

$37.0K TTD 246.0K

-24.36%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$41.5K TTD 275.9K

-49.11%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$90.0 TTD 598

-13.80%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$51.2 TTD 340

-30.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$56.3 TTD 374

-22.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$8.98 TTD 59.7

25.50%

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

$522 CA$732

$407 TTD 2,707

28.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$16.9K TTD 112.3K

5.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

$54.9 TTD 365

7.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$50.9 TTD 338

-23.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$147 TTD 975

-32.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$103 TTD 684

6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

5.75

-21.57%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for St.James: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

St.James

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

St.James

$359 39% 0.4% $1.5

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

St.James

$178 19.4% 38.9% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

St.James

$198 21.5% 25.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

St.James

$160 17.4% 15.7% $22

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

St.James

$8.2 * 0.9% 91.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

St.James

$18 * 2% 65.9% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $88 in St.James. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $359 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇹🇹 St.James

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

4,342

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 TTD = 0.151 USD

1 TTD = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TTD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 TTD (1 TTD = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.46 TTD (1 TTD = 0.134 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal St.James 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
St.James

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.James: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 124% more than St.James, 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 $3,100 per month in Montreal and $1,381 in St.James. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,067 in Montreal and $921 in St.James. That makes St.James about 55% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $88 in St.James. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St.James, where all-in costs run around $921, than in Montreal at $2,067. In St.James it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $921 in St.James to $2,067 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.