Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Renton, WA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $3,050 in Renton, WA, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Renton, WA
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Renton, WA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Renton, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,050

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Renton, WA vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Renton, WA $3,050
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $4,076 per month in Renton, WA vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Renton, WA $4,076
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $5,101 per month in Renton, WA vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Renton, WA $5,101
Montreal $4,152

Renton, WA costs about 51% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Renton, WA and Montreal sit above the global median – Renton, WA by 126%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 $19.81

$18.82 CA$26.61

5.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.3 $93.3

$70.3 CA$99.4

32.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 $12.22

$10.66 CA$15.06

14.63%

Cappuccino

$4.72 $4.72

$3.84 CA$5.43

22.92%

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

$2.45 $2.45

$1.92 CA$2.71

27.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.54 CA$2.18

38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 $5.07

$6.23 CA$8.81

-18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.97 $6.97

$7.10 CA$10.03

-1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$2.31 CA$3.27

-49.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 $4.11

$3.14 CA$4.44

30.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.21 CA$4.54

11.53%

Eggs

$4.97 $4.97

$3.52 CA$4.97

41.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$12.81 CA$18.11

1.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$11.46 CA$16.20

-40.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.07 $16.07

$13.39 CA$18.92

20.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.14 CA$4.43

8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 $1.68

$1.44 CA$2.03

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.47 CA$4.91

-37.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 $3.43

$3.07 CA$4.34

11.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.90 CA$2.69

22.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.77 CA$2.50

28.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$2.34 CA$3.31

-24.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.55 CA$2.19

39.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 $13.33

$11.38 CA$16.09

17.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.82 $9.82

$10.63 CA$15.03

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$2.27 CA$3.21

-24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.82 CA$3.99

3.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 $3.51

$2.66 CA$3.76

31.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 $75.9

$77.3 CA$109

-1.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.20 CA$4.53

10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.48 CA$2.09

-55.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.83 $14.83

$32.88 CA$46.48

-54.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.34 CA$1.90

-6.72%

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

$18.7K $18.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-33.58%

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

$22.8K $22.8K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

16.03%

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

$198 $198

$76.0 CA$107

160.45%

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

$59.7 $59.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

75.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.2 $62.2

$42.31 CA$59.8

47.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.64 $38.64

$29.76 CA$42.07

29.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.38 $39.38

$20.28 CA$28.67

94.18%

Cinema Ticket

$15.03 $15.03

$11.15 CA$15.77

34.80%

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

$1,629 $1,629

$507 CA$717

221.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K $16.4K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

2.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 $52.7

$57.6 CA$81.4

-8.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.41 $30.41

$37.58 CA$53.1

-19.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.5 $64.5

$91.9 CA$130

-29.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 $78.9

$110 CA$155

-28.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,776 $1,776

$1,260 CA$1,782

40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 $1,814

$948 CA$1,340

91.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,952 $2,952

$2,137 CA$3,021

38.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 $2,242

$1,614 CA$2,281

38.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,800 $4,800

$4,960 CA$7,011

-3.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,808 $3,808

$3,838 CA$5,425

-0.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,965 $4,965

$2,827 CA$3,997

75.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.59

4.48

47.10%

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

Last update for Renton, WA: 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

Renton, WA

$1.8K 59.5%

Montreal

$948 47% 47.8% $866

Groceries & Markets

Renton, WA

$340 11.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 2% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Renton, WA

$320 10.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 52.4% $168

Eating Out

Renton, WA

$309 10.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Renton, WA

$102 3.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 31% $32

Getting Around

Renton, WA

$97 3.2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 1.8% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Renton, WA

$69 2.3%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 24.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,776 in Renton, WA 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 76% higher in Renton, WA, 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 $93.0 in Renton, WA versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $340 in Renton, WA vs $346 in Montreal – so Renton, WA wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Renton, WA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

3 h ahead of Renton, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,785

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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Renton, WA Montreal 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Renton, WA
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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

Renton, WA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Renton, WA costs about 51% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,575 per month in Renton, WA 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Renton, WA – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $93.0 in Renton, WA and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,018, than in Renton, WA at $3,050. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Renton, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $3,050 in Renton, WA. 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, Renton, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.