Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Prince Rupert, BC and Montreal

For one person, living costs are similar in Prince Rupert, BC and in Montreal: $1,967 and $2,018 a month, rent and utilities included.

Prince Rupert, BC
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,967
/mo nomad
Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,018
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,967 per month in Prince Rupert, BC vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

  • Prince Rupert, BC $1,967
  • Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,109 per month in Prince Rupert, BC vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

  • Prince Rupert, BC $3,109
  • Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,251 per month in Prince Rupert, BC vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

  • Prince Rupert, BC $4,251
  • Montreal $4,152

Prince Rupert, BC is about 3% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Prince Rupert, BC and Montreal sit above the global median – Prince Rupert, BC by 46%, Montreal by 49%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.48 CA$24.71
$18.82 CA$26.61
-7.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.9 CA$93.1
$70.3 CA$99.4
-6.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.52 CA$14.87
$10.66 CA$15.06
-1.31%
Cappuccino
$3.63 CA$5.13
$3.84 CA$5.43
-5.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 CA$2.86
$1.92 CA$2.71
5.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 CA$2.18
$1.54 CA$2.18
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.40 CA$7.63
$6.23 CA$8.81
-13.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.57 CA$7.88
$7.10 CA$10.03
-21.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.89 CA$2.67
$2.31 CA$3.27
-18.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.46 CA$3.47
$3.14 CA$4.44
-21.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.50
$3.21 CA$4.54
-0.62%
Eggs
$4.97 CA$7.03
$3.52 CA$4.97
41.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.63 CA$13.61
$12.81 CA$18.11
-24.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.32 CA$17.42
$11.46 CA$16.20
7.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.89 CA$21.04
$13.39 CA$18.92
11.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.73 CA$2.45
$3.14 CA$4.43
-44.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 CA$1.45
$1.44 CA$2.03
-28.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.14 CA$5.86
$3.47 CA$4.91
19.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.81 CA$5.38
$3.07 CA$4.34
24.10%
Potato (1kg)
$2.40 CA$3.39
$1.90 CA$2.69
26.32%
Onion (1kg)
$2.27 CA$3.21
$1.77 CA$2.50
28.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.32 CA$3.27
$2.34 CA$3.31
-0.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.73 CA$2.45
$1.55 CA$2.19
11.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.86 CA$19.59
$11.38 CA$16.09
21.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.29 CA$20.20
$10.63 CA$15.03
34.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 CA$3.72
$2.27 CA$3.21
15.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 CA$4.40
$2.82 CA$3.99
10.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.30 CA$3.25
$2.66 CA$3.76
-13.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$65.5 CA$92.6
$77.3 CA$109
-15.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.83 CA$4.01
$3.20 CA$4.53
-11.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 CA$2.32
$1.48 CA$2.09
10.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.25 CA$35.69
$32.88 CA$46.48
-23.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 CA$1.86
$1.34 CA$1.90
-1.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K CA$42.8K
$28.2K CA$39.8K
7.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.3K CA$25.9K
$19.6K CA$27.8K
-6.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 CA$213
$76.0 CA$107
97.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.36 CA$55.6
$33.95 CA$48.00
15.94%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.50 CA$68.6
$42.31 CA$59.8
14.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.18 CA$54.0
$29.76 CA$42.07
28.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.30 CA$24.45
$20.28 CA$28.67
-14.69%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 CA$15.85
$11.15 CA$15.77
0.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$646 CA$913
$507 CA$717
27.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.4K CA$19.0K
$16.1K CA$22.7K
-16.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 CA$75.6
$57.6 CA$81.4
-7.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.39 CA$58.5
$37.58 CA$53.1
10.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.7 CA$118
$91.9 CA$130
-8.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.4 CA$133
$110 CA$155
-13.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,054 CA$1,491
$1,260 CA$1,782
-16.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$841 CA$1,188
$948 CA$1,340
-11.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,932 CA$2,731
$2,137 CA$3,021
-9.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,714 CA$2,423
$1,614 CA$2,281
6.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,875 CA$5,478
$4,960 CA$7,011
-21.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,474 CA$4,912
$3,838 CA$5,425
-9.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Prince Rupert, BC
Montreal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,157 CA$4,463
$2,827 CA$3,997
11.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.66
4.48
4.02%

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

Last update for Prince Rupert, BC: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Prince Rupert, BC
$841
Montreal
$948 12.7% $107
Groceries & Markets
Prince Rupert, BC
$351
Montreal
$346 1.4% $4.9
Eating Out
Prince Rupert, BC
$267
Montreal
$288 7.7% $20
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Prince Rupert, BC
$238
Montreal
$152 36.1% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Prince Rupert, BC
$123
Montreal
$133 8.7% $11
Getting Around
Prince Rupert, BC
$86
Montreal
$99 14.9% $13
Sport & Entertainment
Prince Rupert, BC
$61
Montreal
$52 14.1% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,054 in Prince Rupert, BC 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 12% higher in Prince Rupert, BC, 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 $66.0 in Prince Rupert, BC versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Prince Rupert, BC vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Prince Rupert, BC
🇨🇦 Montreal
🕒 Local time
08:53 8:53 AM
11:53 11:53 AM
3 h ahead of Prince Rupert, BC
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,220
1,762,949
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Prince Rupert, BC Montreal 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Prince Rupert, BC
  • 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
Prince Rupert, BC vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Prince Rupert, BC or Montreal?
Montreal costs about 3% more than Prince Rupert, BC, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 Prince Rupert, BC and in Montreal?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,950 per month in Prince Rupert, BC and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Prince Rupert, BC or Montreal?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Prince Rupert, BC, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Prince Rupert, BC or in Montreal?
Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Montreal – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
How do dining costs compare in Prince Rupert, BC and in Montreal?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Prince Rupert, BC and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Prince Rupert, BC or in Montreal?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Prince Rupert, BC, where all-in costs run around $1,967, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Prince Rupert, BC it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Prince Rupert, BC or Montreal?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Prince Rupert, BC costs $1,967 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Prince Rupert, BC 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 Prince Rupert, BC or to Montreal?
If budget matters most, go with Prince Rupert, BC. 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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