Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $3,744 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,744

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,744 per month in Seattle, WA vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Seattle, WA $3,744
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $5,703 per month in Seattle, WA vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Seattle, WA $5,703
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $7,661 per month in Seattle, WA vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Seattle, WA $7,661
Montreal $4,092

Seattle, WA costs about 87% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Seattle, WA and Montreal sit above the global median – Seattle, WA by 179%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.56 $24.56

$19.31 CA$27.52

27.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 $99.5

$75.5 CA$108

31.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 $15.30

$10.63 CA$15.15

43.93%

Cappuccino

$6.62 $6.62

$3.93 CA$5.60

68.45%

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

$3.25 $3.25

$1.92 CA$2.73

69.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 $3.11

$1.48 CA$2.11

110.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 $7.77

$6.30 CA$8.98

23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.93 $7.93

$7.19 CA$10.24

10.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$2.22 CA$3.17

-45.50%

White Bread (500g)

$4.94 $4.94

$3.06 CA$4.36

61.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.17 $6.17

$2.94 CA$4.19

109.86%

Eggs

$4.96 $4.96

$3.53 CA$5.03

40.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.00 $19.00

$13.19 CA$18.79

44.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.69 $18.69

$11.24 CA$16.02

66.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.14 $23.14

$13.81 CA$19.69

67.56%

Apples (1kg)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.40 CA$4.85

74.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.44 CA$2.06

34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.19 $5.19

$3.26 CA$4.65

59.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.55 $6.55

$2.88 CA$4.10

127.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 $3.62

$1.86 CA$2.65

94.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 $3.16

$1.82 CA$2.60

73.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.43 CA$3.46

19.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.52 CA$2.17

56.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 $12.36

$11.45 CA$16.32

7.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.02 $15.02

$10.36 CA$14.76

44.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.22 CA$3.16

93.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 $5.69

$2.82 CA$4.02

101.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.58 CA$3.67

18.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$109 $109

$76.9 CA$110

41.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.25 CA$4.64

-18.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.48 CA$2.11

17.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.02 $30.02

$33.04 CA$47.09

-9.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.36 CA$1.94

7.35%

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

$36.7K $36.7K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

33.96%

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

$25.7K $25.7K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

28.55%

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

$299 $299

$76.1 CA$109

293.35%

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

$69.7 $69.7

$34.68 CA$49.43

100.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.1 $90.1

$42.69 CA$60.9

111.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.0 $80.0

$28.94 CA$41.26

176.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.62 $35.62

$20.33 CA$28.97

75.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.33 $17.33

$11.21 CA$15.98

54.59%

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

$2,986 $2,986

$505 CA$720

491.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K $31.3K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

95.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.7 $77.7

$58.5 CA$83.4

32.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 $54.9

$38.00 CA$54.2

44.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 $126

$92.7 CA$132

35.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 $165

$106 CA$151

56.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$1,240 CA$1,768

94.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,963 $1,963

$986 CA$1,405

99.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,788 $4,788

$2,102 CA$2,996

127.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,561 $3,561

$1,615 CA$2,302

120.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,430 $7,430

$5,043 CA$7,188

47.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,010 $5,010

$3,830 CA$5,459

30.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,280 $6,280

$2,920 CA$4,163

115.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

4.46

53.59%

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

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 6, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$2K 51.6%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 49.8% $977

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$541 14.2%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 36.5% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$459 12.1%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 66.6% $306

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$402 10.6%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 27.1% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$191 5%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 30.4% $58

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$132 3.5%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 25.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$115 3%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 55.2% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,407 in Seattle, WA 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 115% higher in Seattle, 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 $99.0 in Seattle, WA versus $75.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $541 vs $344 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Seattle, WA
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

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

Seattle, WA costs about 87% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,616 per month in Seattle, WA 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 57% more in Seattle, WA, 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 $99.0 in Seattle, WA 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 Seattle, WA at $3,744. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seattle, WA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $3,744 in Seattle, 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, Seattle, WA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.