Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ras al-Khaimah and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,840 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,840 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $1,840
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,803 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $2,803
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,767 per month in Ras al-Khaimah vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Ras al-Khaimah $3,767
Montreal $4,152

Ras al-Khaimah is about 9% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ras al-Khaimah and Montreal sit above the global median – Ras al-Khaimah by 36%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.76 AED 50.5

$18.82 CA$26.61

-26.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.26 AED 148

$70.3 CA$99.4

-42.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 AED 27.64

$10.66 CA$15.06

-29.36%

Cappuccino

$5.51 AED 20.22

$3.84 CA$5.43

43.49%

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

$1.11 AED 4.08

$1.92 CA$2.71

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 AED 1.76

$1.54 CA$2.18

-68.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.16 AED 37.32

$6.23 CA$8.81

63.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.70 AED 35.63

$7.10 CA$10.03

36.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 AED 6.00

$2.31 CA$3.27

-29.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 AED 7.65

$3.14 CA$4.44

-33.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 AED 7.20

$3.21 CA$4.54

-38.94%

Eggs

$2.35 AED 8.62

$3.52 CA$4.97

-33.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 AED 46.57

$12.81 CA$18.11

-1.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.95 AED 36.56

$11.46 CA$16.20

-13.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.46 AED 56.8

$13.39 CA$18.92

15.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 AED 7.39

$3.14 CA$4.43

-35.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 AED 6.14

$1.44 CA$2.03

15.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 AED 5.69

$3.47 CA$4.91

-55.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 4.98

$3.07 CA$4.34

-55.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 AED 3.54

$1.90 CA$2.69

-49.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 AED 3.20

$1.77 CA$2.50

-50.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 AED 6.39

$2.34 CA$3.31

-25.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 AED 1.61

$1.55 CA$2.19

-71.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.97 AED 25.61

$11.38 CA$16.09

-38.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 AED 49.89

$10.63 CA$15.03

27.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 AED 9.66

$2.27 CA$3.21

15.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 AED 10.56

$2.82 CA$3.99

2.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.12 AED 7.80

$2.66 CA$3.76

-20.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 AED 419

$77.3 CA$109

47.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 AED 6.21

$3.20 CA$4.53

-47.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$1.48 CA$2.09

-45.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 AED 29.96

$32.88 CA$46.48

-75.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.41

$1.34 CA$1.90

-30.60%

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

$45.8K AED 168.2K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

62.70%

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

$22.3K AED 82.0K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

13.77%

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

$121 AED 444

$76.0 CA$107

59.23%

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

$44.73 AED 164

$33.95 CA$48.00

31.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.4 AED 291

$42.31 CA$59.8

87.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 AED 213

$29.76 CA$42.07

94.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.22 AED 148

$20.28 CA$28.67

98.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 AED 46.70

$11.15 CA$15.77

14.08%

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

$299 AED 1,099

$507 CA$717

-40.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,462 AED 16.4K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-72.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 AED 296

$57.6 CA$81.4

40.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 AED 195

$37.58 CA$53.1

41.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 AED 438

$91.9 CA$130

29.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 AED 430

$110 CA$155

6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 AED 2,819

$1,260 CA$1,782

-39.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 AED 2,413

$948 CA$1,340

-30.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,660 AED 6,095

$2,137 CA$3,021

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 AED 4,563

$1,614 CA$2,281

-23.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,007 AED 18.4K

$4,960 CA$7,011

0.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,962 AED 7,207

$3,838 CA$5,425

-48.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,577 AED 5,791

$2,827 CA$3,997

-44.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.92

4.48

9.82%

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

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: 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

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7%

Montreal

$948 47% 44.2% $291

Groceries & Markets

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 21.7% $62

Eating Out

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 4.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 37.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 19.9% $33

Getting Around

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 23.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 37.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $767 in Ras al-Khaimah 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 79% 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 $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $346 – making Ras al-Khaimah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

8 h behind Ras al-Khaimah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

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).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ras al-Khaimah Montreal 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ras al-Khaimah
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

Ras al-Khaimah vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 10% more than Ras al-Khaimah, 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 $2,760 per month in Ras al-Khaimah 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 Ras al-Khaimah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Ras al-Khaimah, where all-in costs run around $1,840, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Ras al-Khaimah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ras al-Khaimah costs $1,840 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 Ras al-Khaimah. 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.