Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Montreal

For one person, living costs are similar in Saint John, New Brunswick and in Montreal: $1,934 and $2,018 a month, rent and utilities included.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,934

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
Montreal $4,152

Saint John, New Brunswick is about 4% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Montreal sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.31 CA$25.89

$18.82 CA$26.61

-2.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 CA$83.5

$70.3 CA$99.4

-16.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$10.66 CA$15.06

-2.16%

Cappuccino

$3.00 CA$4.25

$3.84 CA$5.43

-21.87%

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

$1.69 CA$2.39

$1.92 CA$2.71

-11.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.54 CA$2.18

-31.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 CA$6.26

$6.23 CA$8.81

-28.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CA$7.08

$7.10 CA$10.03

-29.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.07

$2.31 CA$3.27

-6.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.77

$3.14 CA$4.44

-14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$3.21 CA$4.54

-2.80%

Eggs

$3.45 CA$4.88

$3.52 CA$4.97

-1.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.17 CA$18.61

$12.81 CA$18.11

2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.72 CA$16.56

$11.46 CA$16.20

2.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 CA$18.06

$13.39 CA$18.92

-4.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CA$6.77

$3.14 CA$4.43

52.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.44 CA$2.03

2.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.18 CA$5.91

$3.47 CA$4.91

20.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 CA$5.51

$3.07 CA$4.34

27.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 CA$2.83

$1.90 CA$2.69

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 CA$3.11

$1.77 CA$2.50

24.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$2.34 CA$3.31

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 CA$1.99

$1.55 CA$2.19

-9.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.92 CA$19.67

$11.38 CA$16.09

22.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 CA$13.99

$10.63 CA$15.03

-6.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.53

$2.27 CA$3.21

-21.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 CA$3.00

$2.82 CA$3.99

-24.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 CA$2.92

$2.66 CA$3.76

-22.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 CA$79.2

$77.3 CA$109

-27.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 CA$4.13

$3.20 CA$4.53

-8.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 CA$1.50

$1.48 CA$2.09

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.34 CA$24.52

$32.88 CA$46.48

-47.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.34 CA$1.90

-6.72%

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

$24.3K CA$34.4K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-13.57%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-4.24%

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

$120 CA$169

$76.0 CA$107

57.32%

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

$41.55 CA$58.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

22.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 CA$91.4

$42.31 CA$59.8

52.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 CA$73.9

$29.76 CA$42.07

75.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.03 CA$49.52

$20.28 CA$28.67

72.73%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 CA$18.07

$11.15 CA$15.77

14.62%

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

$378 CA$534

$507 CA$717

-25.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K CA$15.7K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-30.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.34 CA$68.3

$57.6 CA$81.4

-16.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.16 CA$49.71

$37.58 CA$53.1

-6.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 CA$145

$91.9 CA$130

11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$150

$110 CA$155

-3.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 CA$1,400

$1,260 CA$1,782

-21.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 CA$1,158

$948 CA$1,340

-13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 CA$2,277

$2,137 CA$3,021

-24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 CA$1,843

$1,614 CA$2,281

-19.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,018 CA$2,854

$4,960 CA$7,011

-59.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,093 CA$2,959

$3,838 CA$5,425

-45.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,402 CA$3,396

$2,827 CA$3,997

-15.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

4.48

4.69%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: 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

Saint John, New Brunswick

$819 42.4%

Montreal

$948 47% 15.7% $129

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$350 18.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 1.1% $3.8

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$257 13.3%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 12% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$226 11.7%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 32.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$131 6.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 1.5% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$78 4%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 33.1% $26

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 35.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 18% 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

1 h behind Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Saint John, New Brunswick Montreal 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 4% more than Saint John, New Brunswick, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,901 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Saint John, New Brunswick, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Montreal – 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 Saint John, New Brunswick, where all-in costs run around $1,934, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Saint John, New Brunswick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Saint John, New Brunswick costs $1,934 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 Saint John, New Brunswick. 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.