Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Redwood City, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $4,197 in Redwood City, CA, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

203

Cost of Living Index in Redwood City, CA
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Redwood City, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Redwood City, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,197

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,197 per month in Redwood City, CA vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Redwood City, CA $4,197
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $6,241 per month in Redwood City, CA vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Redwood City, CA $6,241
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $8,286 per month in Redwood City, CA vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Redwood City, CA $8,286
Montreal $4,152

Redwood City, CA costs about 108% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Redwood City, CA and Montreal sit above the global median – Redwood City, CA by 211%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.04 $25.04

$18.82 CA$26.61

33.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 $110

$70.3 CA$99.4

56.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.44 $13.44

$10.66 CA$15.06

26.08%

Cappuccino

$5.64 $5.64

$3.84 CA$5.43

46.87%

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

$3.23 $3.23

$1.92 CA$2.71

68.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.54 CA$2.18

72.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 $8.20

$6.23 CA$8.81

31.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.87 $8.87

$7.10 CA$10.03

24.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.31 CA$3.27

-33.77%

White Bread (500g)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.14 CA$4.44

71.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.86 $4.86

$3.21 CA$4.54

51.40%

Eggs

$7.74 $7.74

$3.52 CA$4.97

119.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.07 $15.07

$12.81 CA$18.11

17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 $10.63

$11.46 CA$16.20

-7.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 $19.61

$13.39 CA$18.92

46.45%

Apples (1kg)

$6.25 $6.25

$3.14 CA$4.43

99.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 $2.85

$1.44 CA$2.03

97.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$3.47 CA$4.91

29.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.22 $6.22

$3.07 CA$4.34

102.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$1.90 CA$2.69

57.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 $3.65

$1.77 CA$2.50

106.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.34 CA$3.31

18.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.55 CA$2.19

69.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.85 $11.85

$11.38 CA$16.09

4.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.28 $20.28

$10.63 CA$15.03

90.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.27 CA$3.21

16.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.82 CA$3.99

20.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.66 CA$3.76

79.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 $4.25

$3.20 CA$4.53

32.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.48 CA$2.09

-18.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.38 $38.38

$32.88 CA$46.48

16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.34 CA$1.90

17.16%

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

$37.4K $37.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

32.91%

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

$26.5K $26.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

35.18%

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

$237 $237

$76.0 CA$107

212.22%

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

$53.7 $53.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

58.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.5 $69.5

$42.31 CA$59.8

64.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$239 $239

$29.76 CA$42.07

703.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.93 $29.93

$20.28 CA$28.67

47.58%

Cinema Ticket

$17.91 $17.91

$11.15 CA$15.77

60.63%

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

$2,907 $2,907

$507 CA$717

473.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.0K $43.0K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

168.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 $45.86

$57.6 CA$81.4

-20.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.04 $25.04

$37.58 CA$53.1

-33.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 $98.8

$91.9 CA$130

7.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$110 CA$155

3.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,248 $4,248

$1,260 CA$1,782

237.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,521 $2,521

$948 CA$1,340

166.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,692 $5,692

$2,137 CA$3,021

166.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,469 $4,469

$1,614 CA$2,281

176.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,008 $8,008

$2,827 CA$3,997

183.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.48

52.23%

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

Last update for Redwood City, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Redwood City, CA

$2.5K 60.1%

Montreal

$948 47% 62.4% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Redwood City, CA

$493 11.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 29.8% $147

Eating Out

Redwood City, CA

$390 9.3%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 26.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Redwood City, CA

$360 8.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 57.8% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Redwood City, CA

$275 6.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 81.1% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Redwood City, CA

$128 3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 4.6% $5.9

Getting Around

Redwood City, CA

$29 * 0.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 235% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,248 in Redwood City, CA 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 183% higher in Redwood City, CA, 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 $110 in Redwood City, CA versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $493 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Redwood City, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

3 h ahead of Redwood City, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,314

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Redwood City, CA Montreal 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Redwood City, CA
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

Redwood City, CA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Redwood City, CA costs about 108% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,295 per month in Redwood City, CA 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Redwood City, CA 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 42% more in Redwood City, CA, 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 Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Redwood City, CA at $4,197. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Redwood City, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $4,197 in Redwood City, CA. 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, Redwood City, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.