Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,067 a month against $4,375 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
210

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in St Thomas

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

A single person spends $2,067 per month in Montreal vs $4,375 in St Thomas, rent included.

Montreal $2,067
St Thomas $4,375

A couple spends around $3,179 per month in Montreal vs $7,200 in St Thomas, rent included.

Montreal $3,179
St Thomas $7,200

A family of three spends $4,291 per month in Montreal vs $10.0K in St Thomas, rent included.

Montreal $4,291
St Thomas $10.0K

Montreal is about 53% cheaper than St Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and St Thomas sit above the global median – Montreal by 53%, St Thomas by 224%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$22.37 $22.37

-15.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$167 $167

-56.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$13.67 $13.67

-21.07%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$5.86 $5.86

-32.08%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$4.11 $4.11

-50.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$3.40 $3.40

-52.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$4.94 $4.94

27.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$6.95 $6.95

1.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$2.83 $2.83

-17.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$6.51 $6.51

-50.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$18.92 $18.92

-82.77%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$8.96 $8.96

-61.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$11.53 $11.53

19.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$28.41 $28.41

-59.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$39.70 $39.70

-64.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$12.31 $12.31

-71.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$10.80 $10.80

-86.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$12.27 $12.27

-72.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$20.18 $20.18

-84.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.96 $1.96

-1.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$8.78 $8.78

-79.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$7.91 $7.91

-68.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$5.66 $5.66

-72.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$24.58 $24.58

-57.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$6.07 $6.07

-52.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.02 $2.02

29.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

$60.7 $60.7

29.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$19.70 $19.70

-83.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

$3.13 $3.13

-52.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.40 $1.40

-2.86%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

$54.1K $54.1K

-48.17%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$48.3K $48.3K

-56.26%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$451 $451

-82.79%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$101 $101

-64.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$153 $153

-71.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

$166 $166

-81.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$10.09 $10.09

11.69%

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

$522 CA$732

$1,502 $1,502

-65.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$22.4K $22.4K

-20.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

$115 $115

-48.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$149 $149

-73.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$199 $199

-49.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$148 $148

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

$1,604 $1,604

-19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

$1,786 $1,786

-45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

$3,297 $3,297

-29.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

$4,222 $4,222

-59.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

$4,832 $4,832

3.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

$10.6K $10.6K

-64.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

$2,723 $2,723

8.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

9.45

-52.28%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for St Thomas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

St Thomas

$1.8K 40.8% 84% $815

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

St Thomas

$961 * 22% 169% $604

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

St Thomas

$359 8.2% 23.1% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

St Thomas

$704 16.1% 349% $547

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

St Thomas

$275 6.3% 98.5% $136

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

St Thomas

$104 2.4% 4.6% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

St Thomas

$186 4.3% 253% $133

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,298 in Montreal versus $1,604 in St Thomas. 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 8% higher in Montreal, 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 $73 in Montreal versus $167 in St Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $961 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🕒 Local time

04:52 4:52 AM

05:52 5:52 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

20,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal St Thomas 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
St Thomas

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 Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Thomas costs about 112% 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 $3,100 per month in Montreal and $6,562 in St Thomas. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,298 there versus $1,604 in St Thomas.

Groceries cost about 169% more in St Thomas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $167 in St Thomas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,067 in Montreal and $4,375 in St Thomas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.