Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Westminster and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,526 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,526

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Westminster 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 New Westminster and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,526 per month in New Westminster vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

New Westminster $2,526
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,900 per month in New Westminster vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

New Westminster $3,900
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $5,273 per month in New Westminster vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

New Westminster $5,273
Montreal $4,152

New Westminster costs about 25% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New Westminster and Montreal sit above the global median – New Westminster by 87%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.28 CA$27.25

$18.82 CA$26.61

2.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.65 CA$70.2

$70.3 CA$99.4

-29.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 CA$14.31

$10.66 CA$15.06

-5.07%

Cappuccino

$3.47 CA$4.90

$3.84 CA$5.43

-9.64%

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

$1.85 CA$2.62

$1.92 CA$2.71

-3.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$1.54 CA$2.18

0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 CA$8.16

$6.23 CA$8.81

-7.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$7.95

$7.10 CA$10.03

-20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.49

$2.31 CA$3.27

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 CA$3.30

$3.14 CA$4.44

-25.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 CA$4.87

$3.21 CA$4.54

7.48%

Eggs

$3.01 CA$4.25

$3.52 CA$4.97

-14.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 CA$15.27

$12.81 CA$18.11

-15.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.33 CA$21.68

$11.46 CA$16.20

33.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.67 CA$37.71

$13.39 CA$18.92

99.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.34

$3.14 CA$4.43

20.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.44 CA$2.03

2.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$3.47 CA$4.91

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.17

$3.07 CA$4.34

19.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.90 CA$2.69

22.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.13

$1.77 CA$2.50

24.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 CA$3.29

$2.34 CA$3.31

-0.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.55

$1.55 CA$2.19

16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.33 CA$21.67

$11.38 CA$16.09

34.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 CA$2.85

$2.27 CA$3.21

-11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 CA$3.84

$2.82 CA$3.99

-3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 CA$3.56

$2.66 CA$3.76

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.3 CA$128

$77.3 CA$109

16.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$3.20 CA$4.53

-35.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 CA$2.43

$1.48 CA$2.09

16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.76 CA$32.17

$32.88 CA$46.48

-30.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.34 CA$1.90

-5.97%

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

$23.9K CA$33.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-15.26%

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

$19.0K CA$26.8K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-3.25%

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

$139 CA$196

$76.0 CA$107

82.62%

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

$42.09 CA$59.5

$33.95 CA$48.00

23.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 CA$89.1

$42.31 CA$59.8

48.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.42 CA$45.83

$29.76 CA$42.07

8.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.27 CA$24.41

$20.28 CA$28.67

-14.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 CA$16.87

$11.15 CA$15.77

7.09%

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

$758 CA$1,072

$507 CA$717

49.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,536 CA$12.1K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-46.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$57.6 CA$81.4

-9.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.77 CA$59.1

$37.58 CA$53.1

11.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 CA$110

$91.9 CA$130

-15.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 CA$137

$110 CA$155

-11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 CA$2,188

$1,260 CA$1,782

22.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,319 CA$1,865

$948 CA$1,340

39.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,841 CA$4,016

$2,137 CA$3,021

32.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,620 CA$3,704

$1,614 CA$2,281

62.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,810 CA$6,800

$4,960 CA$7,011

-3.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,025 CA$5,690

$3,838 CA$5,425

4.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 CA$4,226

$2,827 CA$3,997

5.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

4.48

5.36%

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

Last update for New Westminster: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New Westminster

$1.3K 52.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 28.2% $372

Groceries & Markets

New Westminster

$396 15.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 12.4% $49

Eating Out

New Westminster

$280 11.1%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 2.8% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New Westminster

$244 9.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 37.6% $92

Clothing & Footwear

New Westminster

$121 4.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 10.6% $13

Getting Around

New Westminster

$111 4.4%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 11.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

New Westminster

$56 2.2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 7.5% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,548 in New Westminster versus $1,260 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 6% higher in New Westminster, 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 $50.0 in New Westminster versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $396 in New Westminster vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

14:18 2:18 PM

3 h ahead of New Westminster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,000

1,762,949

💱 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

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Between locations

New Westminster Montreal 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New Westminster
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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

New Westminster vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Westminster costs about 25% 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 $3,790 per month in New Westminster and $3,027 in Montreal. 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 14% more in New Westminster, 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 $50.0 in New Westminster and $70.0 in Montreal. 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 New Westminster at $2,526. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Westminster it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,526 in New Westminster. 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, New Westminster makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.