Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $4,430 in Santa Monica, CA, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

214

Cost of Living Index in Santa Monica, CA
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Santa Monica, CA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Santa Monica, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,430

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,430 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $4,430
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $6,581 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $6,581
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $8,732 per month in Santa Monica, CA vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Santa Monica, CA $8,732
Montreal $4,152

Santa Monica, CA costs about 119% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santa Monica, CA and Montreal sit above the global median – Santa Monica, CA by 228%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.77 $26.77

$18.82 CA$26.61

42.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$118 $118

$70.3 CA$99.4

68.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 $14.88

$10.66 CA$15.06

39.59%

Cappuccino

$5.93 $5.93

$3.84 CA$5.43

54.43%

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

$3.26 $3.26

$1.92 CA$2.71

69.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 $2.40

$1.54 CA$2.18

55.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 $8.13

$6.23 CA$8.81

30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.95 $9.95

$7.10 CA$10.03

40.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$2.31 CA$3.27

-41.99%

White Bread (500g)

$4.57 $4.57

$3.14 CA$4.44

45.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.65 $4.65

$3.21 CA$4.54

44.86%

Eggs

$5.73 $5.73

$3.52 CA$4.97

62.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.77 $15.77

$12.81 CA$18.11

23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.21 $14.21

$11.46 CA$16.20

24.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.80 $19.80

$13.39 CA$18.92

47.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$3.14 CA$4.43

51.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.44 CA$2.03

59.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.47 CA$4.91

13.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 $5.45

$3.07 CA$4.34

77.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$1.90 CA$2.69

74.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 $2.83

$1.77 CA$2.50

59.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.34 CA$3.31

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 $2.48

$1.55 CA$2.19

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$11.38 CA$16.09

1.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.25 $15.25

$10.63 CA$15.03

43.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.27 CA$3.21

7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.82 CA$3.99

8.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.66 CA$3.76

-5.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 $67.0

$77.3 CA$109

-13.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 $3.15

$3.20 CA$4.53

-1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.48 CA$2.09

28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.68 $32.68

$32.88 CA$46.48

-0.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.34 CA$1.90

8.21%

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

$36.8K $36.8K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

30.71%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

30.26%

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

$218 $218

$76.0 CA$107

186.73%

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

$46.37 $46.37

$33.95 CA$48.00

36.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.1 $65.1

$42.31 CA$59.8

53.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 $70.7

$29.76 CA$42.07

137.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.11 $44.11

$20.28 CA$28.67

117.50%

Cinema Ticket

$19.36 $19.36

$11.15 CA$15.77

73.63%

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

$1,694 $1,694

$507 CA$717

234.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.5K $32.5K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

102.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 $88.9

$57.6 CA$81.4

54.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 $54.8

$37.58 CA$53.1

45.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 $104

$91.9 CA$130

13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$110 CA$155

10.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,328 $3,328

$1,260 CA$1,782

164.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 $2,860

$948 CA$1,340

201.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,804 $5,804

$2,137 CA$3,021

171.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,048 $5,048

$1,614 CA$2,281

212.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.9K $10.9K

$4,960 CA$7,011

119.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,924 $7,924

$3,838 CA$5,425

106.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,900 $6,900

$2,827 CA$3,997

144.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

4.48

47.77%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, 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

Santa Monica, CA

$2.9K 64.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 66.9% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Monica, CA

$462 10.4%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 25% $115

Eating Out

Santa Monica, CA

$413 9.3%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 30.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Monica, CA

$329 7.4%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 53.8% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Monica, CA

$166 3.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 19.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Monica, CA

$109 2.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 52.4% $57

Getting Around

Santa Monica, CA

$90 2%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 9.7% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,328 in Santa Monica, 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 144% higher in Santa Monica, 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 $118 in Santa Monica, CA versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $462 vs $346 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Monica, CA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

3 h ahead of Santa Monica, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,736

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 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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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Santa Monica, CA Montreal 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Monica, CA
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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

Santa Monica, CA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Monica, CA costs about 119% more than Montreal, 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 $6,645 per month in Santa Monica, 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.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Santa Monica, CA, 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 $118 in Santa Monica, CA 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 Santa Monica, CA at $4,430. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Monica, CA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $4,430 in Santa Monica, 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, Santa Monica, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.