Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Stratford, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Stratford, ON: $1,992 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $860 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Stratford, ON
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Stratford, ON Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Stratford, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Stratford, ON

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,992 in Stratford, ON, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Stratford, ON $1,992

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,189 in Stratford, ON, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Stratford, ON $3,189

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $4,387 in Stratford, ON, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Stratford, ON $4,387

Montreal costs about 4% more than Stratford, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Stratford, ON sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Stratford, ON by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$17.70 CA$24.76

7.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$49.39 CA$69.1

47.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$11.27 CA$15.76

-3.46%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$3.46 CA$4.83

10.12%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.49 CA$2.08

30.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.33 CA$1.85

18.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$4.16 CA$5.82

53.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$4.58 CA$6.40

58.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.14 CA$2.99

4.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.90 CA$4.06

9.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$3.75 CA$5.25

-11.73%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$3.04 CA$4.25

19.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$10.42 CA$14.57

26.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$11.60 CA$16.23

-0.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$22.09 CA$30.89

-37.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.63 CA$5.07

-9.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.06 CA$1.49

37.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$4.40 CA$6.16

-23.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$4.55 CA$6.36

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$3.46 CA$4.83

-45.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.30 CA$3.21

-22.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$2.49 CA$3.49

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.47 CA$2.06

7.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$11.13 CA$15.57

1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$10.88 CA$15.21

-3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$3.36 CA$4.70

-30.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$3.16 CA$4.42

-7.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.09 CA$2.92

24.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$49.32 CA$69.0

60.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$2.33 CA$3.25

39.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.84 CA$2.58

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$24.43 CA$34.17

36.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.08 CA$1.51

23.15%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$27.7K CA$38.8K

3.31%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$22.8K CA$31.8K

-7.29%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$121 CA$169

-33.88%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$39.64 CA$55.4

-13.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$31.75 CA$44.40

34.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$42.49 CA$59.4

-26.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$19.24 CA$26.92

0.88%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$10.31 CA$14.42

8.92%

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

$525 CA$734

$823 CA$1,152

-36.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$17.0K CA$23.7K

-3.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$64.3 CA$90.0

-9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$37.14 CA$52.0

2.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$86.1 CA$120

8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$126 CA$177

-12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$1,209 CA$1,691

6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$883 CA$1,234

10.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$2,117 CA$2,961

7.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$1,892 CA$2,646

-12.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$3,782 CA$5,290

35.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$2,765 CA$3,868

8.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.99

-10.22%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stratford, ON: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Stratford, ON

$883 44.3% 9.6% $94

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Stratford, ON

$385 19.4% 9.8% $34

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Stratford, ON

$258 13% 11.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Stratford, ON

$192 9.7% 22.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Stratford, ON

$141 7.1% 4.8% $6.4

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Stratford, ON

$69 3.5% 30.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Stratford, ON

$63 3.2% 17.7% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,209 in Stratford, ON. 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 9% higher in Montreal. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $49 in Stratford, ON. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $385 in Stratford, ON – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Stratford, ON

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

31,465

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Stratford, ON 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Stratford, ON

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 Stratford, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 4% more than Stratford, ON, 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $2,988 in Stratford, ON. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,285 in Montreal and $1,209 in Stratford, ON. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $49 in Stratford, ON. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,064 in Montreal and $1,992 in Stratford, ON, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,992 in Stratford, ON to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Stratford, ON. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.