Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salt Lake City, UT and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,740 in Salt Lake City, UT, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

131

Cost of Living Index in Salt Lake City, UT
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Salt Lake City, UT Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Salt Lake City, UT

🇺🇸 United States

$2,740

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,740 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $2,740
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $3,899 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $3,899
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $5,058 per month in Salt Lake City, UT vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Salt Lake City, UT $5,058
Montreal $4,092

Salt Lake City, UT costs about 37% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Salt Lake City, UT and Montreal sit above the global median – Salt Lake City, UT by 104%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.91 $17.91

$19.31 CA$27.46

-7.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.3 $73.3

$75.5 CA$107

-2.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 $10.16

$10.63 CA$15.11

-4.42%

Cappuccino

$5.12 $5.12

$3.93 CA$5.58

30.28%

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

$2.28 $2.28

$1.92 CA$2.73

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.48 CA$2.11

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.06 $6.06

$6.30 CA$8.96

-3.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 $7.97

$7.19 CA$10.22

10.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$2.22 CA$3.16

-59.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.92 $3.92

$3.06 CA$4.35

28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$2.94 CA$4.18

42.86%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$3.53 CA$5.02

17.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 $12.04

$13.19 CA$18.76

-8.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.45 $12.45

$11.24 CA$15.98

10.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.55 $17.55

$13.81 CA$19.65

27.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.40 CA$4.84

17.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$1.44 CA$2.05

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 $3.58

$3.26 CA$4.64

9.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 $4.07

$2.88 CA$4.09

41.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.86 CA$2.64

19.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.82 CA$2.60

36.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.43 CA$3.45

-20.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 $1.86

$1.52 CA$2.17

22.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 $10.06

$11.45 CA$16.29

-12.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.36 CA$14.73

42.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.22 CA$3.15

21.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.82 CA$4.01

20.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.58 CA$3.66

-5.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.7 $83.7

$76.9 CA$109

8.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$3.25 CA$4.63

-24.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.48 CA$2.11

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.47 $25.47

$33.04 CA$46.99

-22.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.36 CA$1.93

-13.97%

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

$37.3K $37.3K

$27.4K CA$39.0K

35.96%

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

$25.5K $25.5K

$20.0K CA$28.4K

27.48%

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

$191 $191

$76.1 CA$108

151.12%

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

$48.41 $48.41

$34.68 CA$49.32

39.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.2 $78.2

$42.69 CA$60.7

83.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.17 $34.17

$28.94 CA$41.17

18.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.04 $27.04

$20.33 CA$28.91

33.01%

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 $15.09

$11.21 CA$15.94

34.61%

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

$1,316 $1,316

$505 CA$718

160.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K $20.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

28.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 $70.7

$58.5 CA$83.2

20.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.22 $45.22

$38.00 CA$54.1

19.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$92.7 CA$132

18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$106 CA$150

1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,632 $1,632

$1,240 CA$1,764

31.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 $1,371

$986 CA$1,402

39.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,889 $2,889

$2,102 CA$2,990

37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,141 $2,141

$1,615 CA$2,297

32.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,154 $4,154

$5,043 CA$7,173

-17.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,972 $2,972

$3,830 CA$5,447

-22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,304 $4,304

$2,920 CA$4,154

47.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.46

4.46

44.84%

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

Last update for Salt Lake City, UT: October 4, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Salt Lake City, UT

$1.4K 50.9%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 28.1% $385

Groceries & Markets

Salt Lake City, UT

$387 14.4%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 11.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salt Lake City, UT

$318 11.8%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 51.7% $164

Eating Out

Salt Lake City, UT

$297 11%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 1.5% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Salt Lake City, UT

$150 5.6%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 11.5% $17

Getting Around

Salt Lake City, UT

$107 4%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 8.8% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Salt Lake City, UT

$64 2.4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 20.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,632 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,240 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 47% higher in Salt Lake City, UT, 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 $73.0 in Salt Lake City, UT versus $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $387 in Salt Lake City, UT vs $344 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, UT

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

2 h ahead of Salt Lake City, UT

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,133

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Salt Lake City, UT Montreal 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Salt Lake City, UT
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

Salt Lake City, UT vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salt Lake City, UT costs about 37% 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 $4,110 per month in Salt Lake City, UT and $3,005 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.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Salt Lake City, UT, 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 $73.0 in Salt Lake City, UT and $75.0 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 $2,003, than in Salt Lake City, UT at $2,740. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salt Lake City, UT it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $2,740 in Salt Lake City, UT. 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, Salt Lake City, UT makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.