Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Vaughan

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,554 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vaughan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Vaughan

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $2,554 in Vaughan, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Vaughan $2,554

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $3,726 in Vaughan, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Vaughan $3,726

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $4,898 in Vaughan, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Vaughan $4,898

Montreal is about 21% cheaper than Vaughan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Vaughan sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Vaughan by 89%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$16.73 CA$23.66

12.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$67.5 CA$95.4

4.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$9.99 CA$14.13

6.71%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$3.64 CA$5.15

5.49%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.97 CA$2.78

-2.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$1.56 CA$2.21

-1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$6.29 CA$8.89

-0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$6.07 CA$8.58

16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.94 CA$2.74

19.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.26 CA$3.19

38.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$2.69 CA$3.80

19.33%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.99 CA$4.22

17.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.22 CA$13.03

38.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$12.10 CA$17.10

-5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$13.60 CA$19.22

-1.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$3.41 CA$4.82

-7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.26 CA$1.78

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$3.50 CA$4.95

-0.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$3.21 CA$4.54

-4.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.59 CA$2.24

19.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.59 CA$2.25

11.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$2.21 CA$3.12

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.17 CA$1.66

32.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$12.50 CA$17.68

-8.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.92 CA$16.85

-10.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.96 CA$2.78

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.43 CA$2.02

97.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.74 CA$3.87

-2.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$104 CA$147

-25.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.06 CA$4.32

4.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.19 CA$1.69

24.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$21.75 CA$30.74

51.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.09 CA$1.54

22.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.1K CA$34.0K

16.95%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$18.8K CA$26.6K

4.26%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$110 CA$156

-31.15%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$29.17 CA$41.24

16.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$49.57 CA$70.1

-14.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$31.67 CA$44.77

-6.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$20.84 CA$29.46

-2.69%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$9.76 CA$13.80

14.24%

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

$507 CA$717

$910 CA$1,286

-44.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$16.9K CA$24.0K

-5.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$42.04 CA$59.4

36.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$36.75 CA$52.0

2.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$106 CA$150

-13.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$105 CA$148

4.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,669 CA$2,359

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,478 CA$2,090

-35.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,629 CA$3,716

-18.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$2,416 CA$3,415

-33.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$8,700 CA$12.3K

-42.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$6,171 CA$8,724

-37.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$2,905 CA$4,107

-2.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.39

-16.88%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Vaughan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Vaughan

$1.5K 57.9% 56% $531

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Vaughan

$316 12.4% 8.9% $31

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Vaughan

$265 10.4% 7.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Vaughan

$189 7.4% 24.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Vaughan

$130 5.1% 2.4% $3.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Vaughan

$124 4.9% 26.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Vaughan

$51 2% 1.7% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,669 in Vaughan. 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 3% higher in Vaughan, 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $67.0 in Vaughan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $316 – making Vaughan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

Same time as Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

323,103

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Vaughan 510 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 Vaughan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vaughan costs about 27% 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $3,831 in Vaughan. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Vaughan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $67.0 in Vaughan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Vaughan at $2,554. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaughan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,554 in Vaughan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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