Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Murphysboro, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Murphysboro, IL: $1,701 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Murphysboro, IL
🇺🇸 United States
$1,701
/mo nomad
Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,003
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Murphysboro, IL and in Montreal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Murphysboro, IL and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,701 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

  • Murphysboro, IL $1,701
  • Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $2,583 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

  • Murphysboro, IL $2,583
  • Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $3,466 per month in Murphysboro, IL vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

  • Murphysboro, IL $3,466
  • Montreal $4,092

Murphysboro, IL is about 15% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Murphysboro, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Murphysboro, IL by 27%, Montreal by 49%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.97 $17.97
$19.31 CA$27.52
-6.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.3 $84.3
$75.5 CA$108
11.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.85 $11.85
$10.63 CA$15.15
11.48%
Cappuccino
$6.79 $6.79
$3.93 CA$5.60
72.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 $2.95
$1.92 CA$2.73
53.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.48 CA$2.11
66.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.86 $6.86
$6.30 CA$8.98
8.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.78 $7.78
$7.19 CA$10.24
8.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.83 $0.83
$2.22 CA$3.17
-62.61%
White Bread (500g)
$1.81 $1.81
$3.06 CA$4.36
-40.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.11 $4.11
$2.94 CA$4.19
39.80%
Eggs
$4.12 $4.12
$3.53 CA$5.03
16.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.19 $13.19
$13.19 CA$18.79
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.81 $9.81
$11.24 CA$16.02
-12.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.47 $15.47
$13.81 CA$19.69
12.02%
Apples (1kg)
$5.95 $5.95
$3.40 CA$4.85
75.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 $1.53
$1.44 CA$2.06
6.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.09 $4.09
$3.26 CA$4.65
25.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.87 $4.87
$2.88 CA$4.10
69.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.09 $1.09
$1.86 CA$2.65
-41.40%
Onion (1kg)
$2.03 $2.03
$1.82 CA$2.60
11.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.64 $1.64
$2.43 CA$3.46
-32.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 $0.77
$1.52 CA$2.17
-49.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.35 $10.35
$11.45 CA$16.32
-9.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.99 $9.99
$10.36 CA$14.76
-3.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 $2.51
$2.22 CA$3.16
13.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.21 $4.21
$2.82 CA$4.02
49.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.05 $2.05
$2.58 CA$3.67
-20.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.9 CA$110
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.09 $5.09
$3.25 CA$4.64
56.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 $1.54
$1.48 CA$2.11
4.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.65 $20.65
$33.04 CA$47.09
-37.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.36 CA$1.94
-25.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K $38.1K
$27.4K CA$39.1K
38.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.8K $27.8K
$20.0K CA$28.5K
39.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$190 $190
$76.1 CA$109
150.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.40 $33.40
$34.68 CA$49.43
-3.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.26 $39.26
$42.69 CA$60.9
-8.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.73 $43.73
$28.94 CA$41.26
51.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$20.33 CA$28.97
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.57 $8.57
$11.21 CA$15.98
-23.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,436 $1,436
$505 CA$720
184.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.7K $30.7K
$16.0K CA$22.8K
91.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.84 $33.84
$58.5 CA$83.4
-42.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.81 $34.81
$38.00 CA$54.2
-8.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.0 $93.0
$92.7 CA$132
0.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$106 CA$151
8.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$622 $622
$1,240 CA$1,768
-49.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$560 $560
$986 CA$1,405
-43.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$907 $907
$2,102 CA$2,996
-56.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$866 $866
$1,615 CA$2,302
-46.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$903 $903
$5,043 CA$7,188
-82.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$984 $984
$3,830 CA$5,459
-74.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Murphysboro, IL
Montreal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,541 $2,541
$2,920 CA$4,163
-13.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
4.46
46.86%

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

Last update for Murphysboro, IL: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Murphysboro, IL
$560
Montreal
$986 76% $426
Groceries & Markets
Murphysboro, IL
$338
Montreal
$344 1.6% $5.5
Eating Out
Murphysboro, IL
$332
Montreal
$293 11.9% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Murphysboro, IL
$263
Montreal
$154 41.7% $110
Clothing & Footwear
Murphysboro, IL
$124
Montreal
$133 6.9% $8.6
Sport & Entertainment
Murphysboro, IL
$61
Montreal
$51 15.6% $9.5
Getting Around
Murphysboro, IL
$21 *
Montreal
$98 367% $77

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Murphysboro, IL versus $1,240 in Montreal. 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 15% higher in Montreal, 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 $84.0 in Murphysboro, IL versus $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $338 in Murphysboro, IL vs $344 in Montreal – so Murphysboro, IL wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇸 Murphysboro, IL
🇨🇦 Montreal
🕒 Local time
13:33 1:33 PM
14:33 2:33 PM
1 h ahead of Murphysboro, IL
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,500
1,762,949
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 11, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Murphysboro, IL Montreal 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Murphysboro, IL
  • Montreal

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
Murphysboro, IL vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Murphysboro, IL or Montreal?
Montreal costs about 18% more than Murphysboro, IL, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Murphysboro, IL and in Montreal?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,551 per month in Murphysboro, IL and $3,005 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Murphysboro, IL or Montreal?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Murphysboro, IL, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Murphysboro, IL and in Montreal?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Murphysboro, IL and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Murphysboro, IL or in Montreal?
Groceries cost about 2% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Murphysboro, IL or in Montreal?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Murphysboro, IL, where all-in costs run around $1,701, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Murphysboro, IL it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Murphysboro, IL or Montreal?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Murphysboro, IL costs $1,701 versus $2,003 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Murphysboro, IL compared to Montreal?
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.
Should I move to Murphysboro, IL or to Montreal?
If budget matters most, go with Murphysboro, IL. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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