Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Thompson

For one person, living is cheaper in Thompson: $1,806 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Thompson

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $1,806 in Thompson, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Thompson $1,806

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $2,737 in Thompson, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Thompson $2,737

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $3,669 in Thompson, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Thompson $3,669

Montreal costs about 14% more than Thompson, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Montreal and Thompson sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Thompson by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.55

$18.00 CA$25.18

5.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$64.4 CA$90.1

13.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.22

$10.52 CA$14.71

3.42%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.34

$3.72 CA$5.20

2.42%

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

$1.94 CA$2.71

$1.97 CA$2.76

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.60 CA$2.24

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.91

$5.16 CA$7.22

23.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.16

$5.75 CA$8.04

26.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.11

$2.09 CA$2.93

6.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.44

$2.56 CA$3.58

23.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.63

$3.51 CA$4.91

-5.70%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.08

$3.49 CA$4.88

4.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.40

$10.29 CA$14.40

27.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.17

$11.63 CA$16.27

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.18

$14.89 CA$20.82

-7.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.60

$3.93 CA$5.50

-16.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$1.37 CA$1.91

6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.71

$3.98 CA$5.56

-15.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.82 CA$5.34

-17.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.64

$2.35 CA$3.29

-19.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.51

$2.21 CA$3.09

-19.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.46

$2.49 CA$3.48

-0.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$1.66 CA$2.32

-4.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.78

$14.00 CA$19.58

-19.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.68

$12.62 CA$17.65

-16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.27

$2.83 CA$3.96

-17.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$3.18 CA$4.44

-8.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.65

$2.30 CA$3.22

13.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$66.9 CA$93.5

18.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$3.01 CA$4.21

8.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$1.38 CA$1.93

4.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.76

$23.88 CA$33.39

39.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.86

$1.10 CA$1.54

20.91%

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

$28.6K CA$40.0K

$28.2K CA$39.4K

1.54%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$23.6K CA$33.0K

-10.52%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$136 CA$191

-41.26%

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

$34.30 CA$47.98

$39.10 CA$54.7

-12.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$59.9

$54.9 CA$76.8

-21.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.56

$37.46 CA$52.4

-16.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.14

$17.81 CA$24.91

8.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.71

$10.46 CA$14.63

7.36%

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

$525 CA$734

$664 CA$928

-20.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.8K

$11.4K CA$16.0K

42.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.1

$54.4 CA$76.1

6.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.3

$39.02 CA$54.6

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$87.4 CA$122

6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$103 CA$144

7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,797

$687 CA$961

87.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,366

$674 CA$942

44.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,176

$1,109 CA$1,551

104.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,329

$1,114 CA$1,558

49.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,188

$4,361 CA$6,100

17.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,363

$3,358 CA$4,697

14.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,199

$1,567 CA$2,192

91.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.68

-4.27%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Thompson: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Thompson

$674 37.3% 31% $303

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Thompson

$358 19.8% 2% $7.1

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Thompson

$272 15.1% 6.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Thompson

$230 12.8% 46.5% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Thompson

$128 7.1% 5.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Thompson

$86 4.8% 14% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Thompson

$58 3.2% 8.9% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $687 in Thompson. 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 92% higher in Montreal. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $64 in Thompson. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $358 in Thompson – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Thompson

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

1 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

12,829

💱 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 Thompson 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Thompson

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 Thompson: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 14% more than Thompson, 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 $2,709 in Thompson. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thompson, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $687 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $64 in Thompson. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Thompson. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thompson, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Montreal at $2,064. In Thompson 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 $1,806 in Thompson to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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