Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between North Vancouver and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,736 in North Vancouver, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in North Vancouver
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North Vancouver Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,736

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,736 per month in North Vancouver vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

North Vancouver $2,736
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $4,277 per month in North Vancouver vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

North Vancouver $4,277
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $5,818 per month in North Vancouver vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

North Vancouver $5,818
Montreal $4,152

North Vancouver costs about 36% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both North Vancouver and Montreal sit above the global median – North Vancouver by 103%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.85 CA$29.48

$18.82 CA$26.61

10.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 CA$88.1

$70.3 CA$99.4

-11.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 CA$12.76

$10.66 CA$15.06

-15.29%

Cappuccino

$4.18 CA$5.90

$3.84 CA$5.43

8.85%

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

$2.23 CA$3.15

$1.92 CA$2.71

16.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 CA$2.45

$1.54 CA$2.18

12.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 CA$6.79

$6.23 CA$8.81

-22.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.82 CA$8.22

$7.10 CA$10.03

-18.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$2.31 CA$3.27

-13.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 CA$3.92

$3.14 CA$4.44

-11.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 CA$4.76

$3.21 CA$4.54

4.98%

Eggs

$3.23 CA$4.57

$3.52 CA$4.97

-8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.61 CA$19.23

$12.81 CA$18.11

6.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.55 CA$19.16

$11.46 CA$16.20

18.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CA$21.94

$13.39 CA$18.92

15.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 CA$5.75

$3.14 CA$4.43

29.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.44 CA$2.03

0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 CA$5.97

$3.47 CA$4.91

21.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 CA$5.62

$3.07 CA$4.34

29.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.91

$1.90 CA$2.69

45.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$1.77 CA$2.50

59.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.68 CA$3.79

$2.34 CA$3.31

14.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$2.98

$1.55 CA$2.19

36.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.04 CA$19.85

$11.38 CA$16.09

23.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.06 CA$19.88

$10.63 CA$15.03

32.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$2.27 CA$3.21

-7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$2.82 CA$3.99

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.87 CA$4.05

$2.66 CA$3.76

7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.6 CA$139

$77.3 CA$109

27.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 CA$3.63

$3.20 CA$4.53

-19.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.10

$1.48 CA$2.09

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.23 CA$38.49

$32.88 CA$46.48

-17.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 CA$1.82

$1.34 CA$1.90

-3.73%

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

$28.3K CA$39.9K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

0.35%

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

$18.9K CA$26.7K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-3.64%

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

$128 CA$182

$76.0 CA$107

69.04%

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

$37.29 CA$52.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

9.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$42.31 CA$59.8

21.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 CA$42.21

$29.76 CA$42.07

0.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.65 CA$33.43

$20.28 CA$28.67

16.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 CA$16.75

$11.15 CA$15.77

6.28%

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

$1,049 CA$1,483

$507 CA$717

106.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K CA$14.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-34.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 CA$88.0

$57.6 CA$81.4

8.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.14 CA$52.5

$37.58 CA$53.1

-1.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.3 CA$114

$91.9 CA$130

-12.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,759 CA$2,487

$1,260 CA$1,782

39.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 CA$2,163

$948 CA$1,340

61.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,049 CA$4,310

$2,137 CA$3,021

42.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,089 CA$4,366

$1,614 CA$2,281

91.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,065 CA$11.4K

$4,960 CA$7,011

62.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,724 CA$9,506

$3,838 CA$5,425

75.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,119 CA$4,409

$2,827 CA$3,997

10.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

4.48

4.69%

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

Last update for North Vancouver: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

North Vancouver

$1.5K 55.9%

Montreal

$948 47% 38.1% $582

Groceries & Markets

North Vancouver

$389 14.2%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 11% $43

Eating Out

North Vancouver

$296 10.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 2.6% $7.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

North Vancouver

$217 7.9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 29.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

North Vancouver

$130 4.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 2.4% $3.2

Getting Around

North Vancouver

$120 4.4%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 17.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

North Vancouver

$54 2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 2.8% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,759 in North Vancouver 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 10% higher in North Vancouver, 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 $62.0 in North Vancouver versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $389 in North Vancouver vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 North Vancouver

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

3 h ahead of North Vancouver

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,200

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

North Vancouver Montreal 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

North Vancouver
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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

North Vancouver vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

North Vancouver costs about 36% 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 $4,104 per month in North Vancouver 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 12% more in North Vancouver, 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 $62.0 in North Vancouver 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 North Vancouver at $2,736. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in North Vancouver it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,736 in North Vancouver. 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, North Vancouver makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.