Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Yellowknife

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,916 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
Learn more

Yellowknife Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Yellowknife

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $2,916 in Yellowknife, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Yellowknife $2,916

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $4,085 in Yellowknife, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Yellowknife $4,085

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $5,255 in Yellowknife, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Yellowknife $5,255

Montreal is about 31% cheaper than Yellowknife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montreal and Yellowknife sit above the global median – Montreal by 49%, Yellowknife by 116%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$19.32 CA$27.31

-2.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$85.3 CA$121

-17.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$8.63 CA$12.19

23.52%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$4.22 CA$5.97

-9.00%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$2.27 CA$3.21

-15.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$2.07 CA$2.93

-25.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$6.12 CA$8.65

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$6.89 CA$9.74

3.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$2.83 CA$4.00

-18.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.65 CA$3.74

18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$4.65 CA$6.57

-30.97%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$3.26 CA$4.60

7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$6.93 CA$9.80

84.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$16.17 CA$22.86

-29.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$15.33 CA$21.67

-12.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$4.81 CA$6.80

-34.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.45 CA$2.04

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$5.05 CA$7.15

-31.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$7.14 CA$10.10

-57.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$4.30 CA$6.08

-55.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$3.60 CA$5.08

-50.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$3.43 CA$4.84

-31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.05 CA$1.48

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$17.03 CA$24.08

-33.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$13.83 CA$19.55

-23.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$4.09 CA$5.78

-44.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$6.14 CA$8.68

-54.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$2.13 CA$3.01

24.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$51.7 CA$73.1

49.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$3.07 CA$4.34

4.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.37 CA$1.94

8.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.29 CA$1.82

3.88%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.4K CA$33.1K

20.16%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$18.7K CA$26.5K

4.80%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$354 CA$501

-78.57%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$56.9 CA$80.4

-40.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$97.5 CA$138

-56.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$72.3 CA$102

-58.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$9.69 CA$13.70

15.07%

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

$507 CA$717

$575 CA$813

-11.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$63.6 CA$89.9

-9.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$34.39 CA$48.61

9.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$98.7 CA$140

-6.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$114 CA$161

-3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$1,408 CA$1,991

-10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$1,383 CA$1,955

-31.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$2,100 CA$2,969

1.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$2,050 CA$2,898

-21.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,983 CA$4,217

66.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$2,765 CA$3,909

38.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$3,903 CA$5,518

-27.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.32

-15.79%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yellowknife: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.4% 45.9% $435

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Yellowknife

$429 14.7% 23.9% $83

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Yellowknife

$293 10% 1.7% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Yellowknife

$509 17.5% 234% $357

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Yellowknife

$140 4.8% 4.7% $6.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Yellowknife

$70 2.4% 28.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Yellowknife

$92 3.2% 76.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $1,408 in Yellowknife. 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 38% higher in Yellowknife, 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 $85.0 in Yellowknife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $429 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

11:35 11:35 AM

2 h behind Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

19,234

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Yellowknife 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Yellowknife

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 Yellowknife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yellowknife costs about 44% 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 $4,373 in Yellowknife. 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.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Yellowknife, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $85.0 in Yellowknife. 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 Yellowknife at $2,916. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yellowknife it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,916 in Yellowknife. 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, Yellowknife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.