Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Vancouver

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,725 in Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 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
130

Cost of Living Index in Vancouver
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Vancouver Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Vancouver

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

A single person spends $2,064 per month in Montreal vs $2,725 in Vancouver, rent included.

Montreal $2,064
Vancouver $2,725

A couple spends around $3,156 per month in Montreal vs $4,039 in Vancouver, rent included.

Montreal $3,156
Vancouver $4,039

A family of three spends $4,247 per month in Montreal vs $5,352 in Vancouver, rent included.

Montreal $4,247
Vancouver $5,352

Montreal is about 24% cheaper than Vancouver, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Vancouver sit above the global median – Montreal by 52%, Vancouver by 100%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.98 CA$26.64

$17.65 CA$24.77

7.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 CA$102

$72.4 CA$102

0.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 CA$15.27

$10.84 CA$15.21

0.37%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.35

$3.91 CA$5.49

-2.56%

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

$1.94 CA$2.72

$2.10 CA$2.95

-7.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.64 CA$2.30

-3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.37 CA$8.94

$5.74 CA$8.06

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.26 CA$10.20

$6.36 CA$8.93

14.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.13

$2.21 CA$3.10

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 CA$4.45

$2.64 CA$3.71

20.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.64

$4.68 CA$6.56

-29.27%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.09

$4.24 CA$5.95

-14.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 CA$18.47

$11.92 CA$16.73

10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 CA$16.22

$13.12 CA$18.42

-11.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 CA$19.25

$20.40 CA$28.63

-32.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 CA$4.62

$4.10 CA$5.76

-19.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$1.38 CA$1.93

5.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.73

$3.83 CA$5.37

-12.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$3.92 CA$5.50

-19.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 CA$2.65

$2.77 CA$3.89

-31.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$2.84 CA$3.98

-36.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.47

$2.60 CA$3.65

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.59 CA$2.24

-0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.28 CA$15.84

$15.87 CA$22.27

-28.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.49 CA$14.73

$14.00 CA$19.64

-25.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 CA$3.28

$2.57 CA$3.61

-8.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.09

$3.01 CA$4.23

-3.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$2.55 CA$3.59

2.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$111

$84.1 CA$118

-5.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.26 CA$4.57

$2.67 CA$3.74

22.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$1.58 CA$2.22

-8.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.92

$32.19 CA$45.17

3.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$1.45 CA$2.04

-8.28%

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

$28.6K CA$40.2K

$27.5K CA$38.6K

4.16%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$21.3K CA$29.9K

-1.06%

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

$80.1 CA$112

$82.5 CA$116

-2.92%

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

$34.30 CA$48.14

$37.46 CA$52.6

-8.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.85 CA$60.1

$51.7 CA$72.5

-17.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.14 CA$43.71

$40.52 CA$56.9

-23.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 CA$27.24

$12.69 CA$17.81

52.96%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 CA$15.76

$12.66 CA$17.77

-11.30%

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

$525 CA$737

$1,080 CA$1,515

-51.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K CA$22.9K

$20.1K CA$28.3K

-18.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 CA$81.4

$58.5 CA$82.0

-0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 CA$53.5

$34.10 CA$47.85

11.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 CA$131

$96.9 CA$136

-3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$97.4 CA$137

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 CA$1,803

$1,813 CA$2,545

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,371

$1,576 CA$2,211

-38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,271 CA$3,187

$3,217 CA$4,514

-29.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 CA$2,336

$2,651 CA$3,721

-37.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,139 CA$7,212

$8,590 CA$12.1K

-40.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 CA$5,381

$6,649 CA$9,331

-42.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,002 CA$4,213

$3,733 CA$5,239

-19.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

4.28

4.67%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Last update for Vancouver: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.3%

Vancouver

$1.6K 57.8% 61.3% $599

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17%

Vancouver

$401 14.7% 14.2% $50

Eating Out

Montreal

$291 14.1%

Vancouver

$277 10.2% 4.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Vancouver

$172 6.3% 9.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$135 6.5%

Vancouver

$129 4.7% 4.3% $5.8

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Vancouver

$105 3.9% 4.9% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Vancouver

$66 2.4% 22.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,285 in Montreal versus $1,813 in Vancouver. 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 24% higher in Vancouver, 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 $72 in Vancouver. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Montreal vs $401 in Vancouver – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Vancouver

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

3 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

631,486

💱 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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Montreal Vancouver 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Vancouver: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vancouver costs about 32% 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 $3,096 per month in Montreal and $4,087 in Vancouver. 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 $1,813 in Vancouver.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Montreal. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Vancouver, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,064 in Montreal and $2,725 in Vancouver. 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, Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.