Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Parksville and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Parksville: $1,106 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Parksville
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Parksville Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Parksville

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,106

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in Parksville vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Parksville $1,106
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,823 per month in Parksville vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Parksville $2,823
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,540 per month in Parksville vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Parksville $4,540
Montreal $4,152

Parksville is about 45% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Parksville sits 18% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.27 CA$24.42

$18.82 CA$26.61

-8.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 CA$79.9

$70.3 CA$99.4

-19.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$10.66 CA$15.06

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$3.34 CA$4.72

$3.84 CA$5.43

-13.02%

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

$2.03 CA$2.87

$1.92 CA$2.71

5.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 CA$2.31

$1.54 CA$2.18

6.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 CA$7.25

$6.23 CA$8.81

-17.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 CA$8.00

$7.10 CA$10.03

-20.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 CA$3.22

$2.31 CA$3.27

-1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 CA$2.96

$3.14 CA$4.44

-33.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$3.21 CA$4.54

-10.28%

Eggs

$3.28 CA$4.64

$3.52 CA$4.97

-6.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 CA$13.79

$12.81 CA$18.11

-23.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 CA$14.34

$11.46 CA$16.20

-11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.58 CA$27.67

$13.39 CA$18.92

46.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.42

$3.14 CA$4.43

-0.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 CA$1.86

$1.44 CA$2.03

-9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 CA$4.04

$3.47 CA$4.91

-17.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.27

$3.07 CA$4.34

-1.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 CA$3.66

$1.90 CA$2.69

36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 CA$2.84

$1.77 CA$2.50

13.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.90

$2.34 CA$3.31

-12.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.55 CA$2.19

14.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.13 CA$19.98

$11.38 CA$16.09

24.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.14 CA$19.99

$10.63 CA$15.03

33.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.27 CA$3.21

8.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CA$4.31

$2.82 CA$3.99

8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.38 CA$3.37

$2.66 CA$3.76

-10.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$3.20 CA$4.53

-18.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 CA$2.23

$1.48 CA$2.09

6.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.09 CA$21.34

$32.88 CA$46.48

-54.11%

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)

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-6.26%

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

$18.1K CA$25.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-7.62%

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

$183 CA$259

$76.0 CA$107

141.39%

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

$36.28 CA$51.3

$33.95 CA$48.00

6.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.8 CA$90.2

$42.31 CA$59.8

50.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$29.76 CA$42.07

93.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.57 CA$24.85

$20.28 CA$28.67

-13.36%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 CA$17.62

$11.15 CA$15.77

11.75%

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

$850 CA$1,201

$507 CA$717

67.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K CA$16.9K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-25.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.85 CA$67.6

$57.6 CA$81.4

-16.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 CA$84.0

$37.58 CA$53.1

58.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.0 CA$80.6

$91.9 CA$130

-37.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 CA$123

$110 CA$155

-20.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 CA$1,840

$1,260 CA$1,782

3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 CA$3,208

$2,137 CA$3,021

6.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,139 CA$3,024

$1,614 CA$2,281

32.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,830 CA$2,588

$3,838 CA$5,425

-52.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,833 CA$4,005

$2,827 CA$3,997

0.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

4.48

8.71%

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

Last update for Parksville: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Parksville

$345 31.2%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 0.4% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Parksville

$283 25.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 46.3% $131

Eating Out

Parksville

$261 23.6%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 10.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Parksville

$113 10.2%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 18% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Parksville

$83 7.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 36.9% $30

Getting Around

Parksville

$20 * 1.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 392% $79

Accommodation & Living

Parksville

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,302 in Parksville 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 0% higher in Parksville, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Parksville versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $346 – making Parksville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Parksville

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

3 h ahead of Parksville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,642

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Parksville Montreal 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Parksville
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

Parksville vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 83% more than Parksville, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,658 per month in Parksville 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 Parksville, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Parksville and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Parksville, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Parksville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Parksville costs $1,106 versus $2,018 in Montreal. 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 Parksville. 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.