Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Toronto

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,589 in Toronto, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Toronto
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Toronto Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Toronto

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,589 in Toronto, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Toronto $2,589

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $3,710 in Toronto, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Toronto $3,710

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $4,831 in Toronto, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Toronto $4,831

Montreal is about 20% cheaper than Toronto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Montreal and Toronto sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Toronto by 90%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$17.60 CA$24.70

7.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$77.8 CA$109

-6.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$10.59 CA$14.86

2.74%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$4.16 CA$5.83

-8.41%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.04 CA$2.87

-4.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.75 CA$2.46

-9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$6.58 CA$9.23

-3.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$7.11 CA$9.98

2.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.53 CA$3.56

-11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.70 CA$3.79

17.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$2.24 CA$3.14

47.77%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$3.48 CA$4.89

4.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$9.38 CA$13.16

40.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$11.60 CA$16.28

-0.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$14.68 CA$20.61

-6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$3.74 CA$5.26

-12.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.22 CA$1.72

19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$3.48 CA$4.88

-3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$4.32 CA$6.07

-27.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$1.85 CA$2.60

2.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$1.69 CA$2.37

5.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$2.23 CA$3.13

10.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.28 CA$1.79

23.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$14.04 CA$19.71

-19.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$14.43 CA$20.25

-27.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.16 CA$3.03

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$2.52 CA$3.54

15.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.37 CA$3.32

10.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$112 CA$158

-29.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$3.04 CA$4.27

7.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.24 CA$1.74

16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$22.55 CA$31.65

48.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.24 CA$1.75

7.26%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$26.9K CA$37.8K

6.42%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$21.4K CA$30.0K

-1.34%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$125 CA$175

-35.77%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$33.05 CA$46.39

3.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$47.96 CA$67.3

-10.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$36.69 CA$51.5

-15.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

$23.67 CA$33.22

-18.00%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$13.08 CA$18.35

-14.14%

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

$525 CA$737

$759 CA$1,065

-30.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$23.8K CA$33.4K

-31.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$53.5 CA$75.1

8.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$40.44 CA$56.8

-5.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$100 CA$141

-7.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$125 CA$176

-12.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$1,630 CA$2,287

-21.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$1,416 CA$1,987

-31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$2,694 CA$3,781

-15.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$2,101 CA$2,949

-20.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

$7,551 CA$10.6K

-31.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

$6,674 CA$9,366

-42.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$3,543 CA$4,973

-15.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.45

0.67%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Toronto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Toronto

$1.4K 54.7% 45% $439

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Toronto

$345 13.3% 1.8% $6.3

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Toronto

$285 11% 2.1% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Toronto

$206 7.9% 30.8% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Toronto

$144 5.6% 6.7% $9

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Toronto

$131 5.1% 31.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Toronto

$63 2.4% 17.3% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,630 in Toronto. 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 18% higher in Toronto, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal versus $78 in Toronto. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $345 in Toronto – so Toronto wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Toronto

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

2,731,571

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montreal Toronto 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Toronto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toronto costs about 25% more than Montreal, 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $3,883 in Toronto. 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 $1,285 there versus $1,630 in Toronto.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Montreal and $78 in Toronto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,064 in Montreal and $2,589 in Toronto. 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.

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