Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond, Canada and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,459 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Richmond outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

118

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
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Richmond Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Richmond

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,459

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,459 per month in Richmond vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

Richmond $2,459
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $3,502 per month in Richmond vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

Richmond $3,502
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $4,545 per month in Richmond vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

Richmond $4,545
Montreal $4,247

Richmond costs about 19% more than Montreal.

Both Richmond and Montreal sit above the global median – Richmond by 81%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.21 CA$22.64

$18.98 CA$26.52

-14.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 CA$100

$73.0 CA$102

-1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 CA$12.69

$10.88 CA$15.20

-16.54%

Cappuccino

$4.22 CA$5.89

$3.81 CA$5.33

10.76%

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

$2.04 CA$2.85

$1.94 CA$2.71

5.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.15

$1.58 CA$2.21

-2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 CA$7.57

$6.37 CA$8.90

-14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 CA$7.77

$7.26 CA$10.15

-23.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CA$3.07

$2.23 CA$3.11

-1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 CA$3.01

$3.17 CA$4.43

-31.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 CA$3.29

$3.31 CA$4.62

-28.70%

Eggs

$3.15 CA$4.40

$3.63 CA$5.07

-13.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 CA$12.35

$13.16 CA$18.38

-32.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.81 CA$15.10

$11.56 CA$16.15

-6.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.74 CA$13.61

$13.71 CA$19.16

-28.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$3.29 CA$4.60

-19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 CA$1.81

$1.46 CA$2.04

-11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.68

$3.37 CA$4.70

-21.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.07

$3.15 CA$4.40

15.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 CA$2.93

$1.89 CA$2.64

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 CA$2.51

$1.79 CA$2.50

0.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 CA$2.84

$2.47 CA$3.45

-17.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.58 CA$2.21

-22.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.39 CA$20.10

$11.28 CA$15.77

27.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CA$17.79

$10.49 CA$14.66

21.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 CA$3.05

$2.34 CA$3.26

-6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 CA$3.05

$2.91 CA$4.07

-25.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 CA$3.03

$2.61 CA$3.65

-16.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 CA$111

$79.1 CA$111

0.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 CA$4.16

$3.26 CA$4.55

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 CA$1.95

$1.44 CA$2.01

-3.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.43 CA$46.71

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.87

$1.33 CA$1.86

0.75%

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

$26.7K CA$37.3K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

-6.75%

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

$20.8K CA$29.1K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

-1.37%

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

$132 CA$184

$80.1 CA$112

64.60%

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

$32.35 CA$45.19

$34.30 CA$47.92

-5.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.70 CA$65.3

$42.85 CA$59.9

8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.75 CA$33.18

$31.14 CA$43.51

-23.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.41 CA$3.37

$19.41 CA$27.11

-87.58%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 CA$17.40

$11.23 CA$15.69

10.95%

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

$800 CA$1,117

$525 CA$734

52.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K CA$14.9K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

-34.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 CA$74.3

$58.0 CA$81.0

-8.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.29 CA$45.11

$38.11 CA$53.2

-15.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 CA$133

$93.4 CA$131

2.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 CA$165

$110 CA$154

7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,831 CA$2,558

$1,285 CA$1,795

42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 CA$1,968

$977 CA$1,364

44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,523 CA$3,524

$2,271 CA$3,173

11.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,140 CA$2,989

$1,665 CA$2,326

28.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,487 CA$11.9K

$5,139 CA$7,180

65.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,437 CA$8,993

$3,834 CA$5,357

67.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 CA$4,292

$3,002 CA$4,194

2.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.77

4.48

6.47%

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

Last update for Richmond: 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

Richmond

$1.4K 57.3%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 30.7% $432

Groceries & Markets

Richmond

$298 12.1%

Montreal

$351 17% 17.7% $53

Eating Out

Richmond

$260 10.6%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 11.8% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond

$211 8.6%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 25.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond

$135 5.5%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Richmond

$98 4%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond

$49 2%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 10.2% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,831 in Richmond 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Richmond versus $73 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $351 – making Richmond the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Richmond

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

2 h ahead of Richmond

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,309

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

On the map

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Between locations

Richmond Montreal 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Richmond
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

Richmond vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Richmond costs about 19% 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 $3,689 per month in Richmond 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 Montreal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,285 there versus $1,831 in Richmond.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,459 in Richmond and $2,064 in Montreal. That makes Montreal about 16% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Richmond – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,459 in Richmond and $2,064 in Montreal. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.