Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quebec City and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Quebec City: $1,935 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,935 per month in Quebec City vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

Quebec City $1,935
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $2,912 per month in Quebec City vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

Quebec City $2,912
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $3,889 per month in Quebec City vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

Quebec City $3,889
Montreal $4,247

Quebec City is about 6% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Quebec City and Montreal sit above the global median – Quebec City by 42%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 CA$29.64

$18.98 CA$26.52

11.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 CA$89.2

$73.0 CA$102

-12.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.75 CA$15.02

$10.88 CA$15.20

-1.19%

Cappuccino

$3.83 CA$5.35

$3.81 CA$5.33

0.52%

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

$2.13 CA$2.97

$1.94 CA$2.71

9.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.09

$1.58 CA$2.21

-5.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 CA$7.94

$6.37 CA$8.90

-10.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 CA$8.21

$7.26 CA$10.15

-19.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 CA$2.88

$2.23 CA$3.11

-7.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$3.17 CA$4.43

-8.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.78

$3.31 CA$4.62

25.08%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.63 CA$5.07

-13.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 CA$12.76

$13.16 CA$18.38

-30.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 CA$15.35

$11.56 CA$16.15

-4.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.84

$13.71 CA$19.16

-22.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 CA$5.82

$3.29 CA$4.60

26.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.46 CA$2.04

6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.18

$3.37 CA$4.70

10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.64

$3.15 CA$4.40

28.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CA$4.10

$1.89 CA$2.64

55.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 CA$3.99

$1.79 CA$2.50

59.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 CA$3.81

$2.47 CA$3.45

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$1.58 CA$2.21

-3.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.65

$11.28 CA$15.77

31.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.35 CA$15.86

$10.49 CA$14.66

8.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CA$4.52

$2.34 CA$3.26

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 CA$4.81

$2.91 CA$4.07

18.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.61 CA$3.65

11.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 CA$98.7

$79.1 CA$111

-10.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$3.26 CA$4.55

-11.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.07

$1.44 CA$2.01

2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.46 CA$49.54

$33.43 CA$46.71

6.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.81

$1.33 CA$1.86

-2.26%

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

$28.7K CA$40.1K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

0.27%

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

$22.2K CA$31.0K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

5.07%

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

$100 CA$140

$80.1 CA$112

25.14%

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

$32.19 CA$44.97

$34.30 CA$47.92

-6.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.61 CA$63.7

$42.85 CA$59.9

6.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 CA$46.27

$31.14 CA$43.51

6.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.66 CA$17.68

$19.41 CA$27.11

-34.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.75

$11.23 CA$15.69

-5.97%

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

$676 CA$945

$525 CA$734

28.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,492 CA$13.3K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

-41.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 CA$82.9

$58.0 CA$81.0

2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 CA$71.2

$38.11 CA$53.2

33.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$126

$93.4 CA$131

-3.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 CA$152

$110 CA$154

-1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 CA$1,437

$1,285 CA$1,795

-19.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$821 CA$1,147

$977 CA$1,364

-15.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 CA$2,281

$2,271 CA$3,173

-28.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,333 CA$1,862

$1,665 CA$2,326

-19.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,733 CA$6,613

$5,139 CA$7,180

-7.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,728 CA$3,811

$3,834 CA$5,357

-28.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,906 CA$4,060

$3,002 CA$4,194

-3.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

4.48

-0.89%

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

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quebec City

$821 42.4%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 19% $156

Groceries & Markets

Quebec City

$347 18%

Montreal

$351 17% 1.1% $3.7

Eating Out

Quebec City

$303 15.6%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 3.9% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quebec City

$178 9.2%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 11.7% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Quebec City

$139 7.2%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 2.9% $4.1

Getting Around

Quebec City

$93 4.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 8.1% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Quebec City

$54 2.8%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 1.2% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,029 in Quebec City versus $1,285 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 3% 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 $64 in Quebec City versus $73 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $351 – making Quebec City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

Same time as Quebec City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

530,168

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Quebec City Montreal 230 km

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Quebec City
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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

Quebec City vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 7% more than Quebec City, 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 $2,902 per month in Quebec City and $3,096 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quebec City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,029 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Quebec City and $73 in Montreal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Quebec City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,935 in Quebec City to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Quebec City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.