Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Waterloo Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Waterloo

😐 Solo nomad: Montreal is 13.3% more expensive than Waterloo without rent, and 13.3% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Montreal is 8.2% more expensive than Waterloo without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.33 CA$22.23
$14.98 CA$20.39
9.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.7 CA$100
$66.9 CA$91
10.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.99 CA$14.96
$9.83 CA$13.38
11.80%
Cappuccino
$3.82 CA$5.2
$3.11 CA$4.24
22.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.1 CA$2.86
$1.57 CA$2.14
33.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 CA$2.07
$1.62 CA$2.21
-6.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.92 CA$8.05
$5.55 CA$7.55
6.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 CA$8.8
$6.75 CA$9.18
-4.15%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.27 CA$3.09
$2.16 CA$2.94
5.09%
White Bread (500g)
$3.36 CA$4.58
$2.23 CA$3.04
50.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.66 CA$4.98
$2.55 CA$3.47
43.53%
Eggs
$3.43 CA$4.67
$3.03 CA$4.12
13.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.48 CA$22.43
$8.23 CA$11.2
100.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.61 CA$15.8
$16.56 CA$22.54
-29.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.19 CA$20.67
$14.16 CA$19.27
7.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 CA$4.91
$4.15 CA$5.65
-13.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 CA$2.28
$1.18 CA$1.61
42.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.12 CA$5.61
$3.22 CA$4.39
27.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.44 CA$6.05
$3.78 CA$5.14
17.46%
Potato (1kg)
$2.64 CA$3.59
$2.28 CA$3.1
15.79%
Onion (1kg)
$2.6 CA$3.54
$2.84 CA$3.87
-8.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 CA$2.96
$1.95 CA$2.65
11.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 CA$2.42
$1.61 CA$2.19
10.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.27 CA$18.06
$14.19 CA$19.32
-6.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.7 CA$17.29
$10.91 CA$14.85
16.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 CA$4.24
$2.49 CA$3.39
24.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.6 CA$4.89
$3.33 CA$4.54
8.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.69 CA$3.66
$2.79 CA$3.8
-3.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.1 CA$99.5
$69.5 CA$94.6
5.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 CA$4.81
$2.64 CA$3.6
33.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.4 CA$1.9
$1.68 CA$2.29
-16.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.13 CA$46.45
$29.07 CA$39.57
17.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 CA$1.68
$1.16 CA$1.58
6.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.2K CA$34.3K
$25.3K CA$34.4K
-0.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K CA$29.4K
$19.6K CA$26.7K
10.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.3 CA$102
$186 CA$254
-59.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.75 CA$50
$37.08 CA$50.5
-0.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.37 CA$60.4
$54 CA$73.5
-17.85%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.45 CA$59.1
$39.11 CA$53.2
11.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.07 CA$23.24
$15.74 CA$21.43
8.45%
Cinema Ticket
$11.17 CA$15.2
$12.04 CA$16.38
-7.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$621 CA$845
$566 CA$770
9.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,850 CA$7,963
$10.2K CA$13.9K
-42.64%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 CA$85.6
$53.2 CA$72.5
18.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.2 CA$61.5
$25.85 CA$35.19
74.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 CA$140
$70.9 CA$96.5
45.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 CA$166
$87.2 CA$119
39.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 CA$1,629
$1,426 CA$1,941
-16.05%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$944 CA$1,285
$1,251 CA$1,703
-24.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,069 CA$2,816
$2,344 CA$3,191
-11.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,558 CA$2,120
$2,068 CA$2,815
-24.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,154 CA$8,377
$5,623 CA$7,654
9.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,461 CA$6,072
$4,343 CA$5,912
2.71%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Waterloo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,940 CA$4,002
$3,028 CA$4,122
-2.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.01
6.71
-25.34%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 29, 2025

Last update for Waterloo: October 28, 2025

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