Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sherbrooke and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sherbrooke: $1,641 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Sherbrooke
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Sherbrooke Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Sherbrooke

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,641

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Sherbrooke vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Sherbrooke $1,641
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Sherbrooke vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Sherbrooke $2,562
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $3,484 per month in Sherbrooke vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Sherbrooke $3,484
Montreal $4,187

Sherbrooke is about 20% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sherbrooke and Montreal sit above the global median – Sherbrooke by 21%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 CA$25.42

$18.84 CA$26.63

-4.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 CA$93.6

$73.2 CA$104

-9.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 CA$15.08

$10.54 CA$14.90

1.23%

Cappuccino

$3.21 CA$4.53

$3.97 CA$5.61

-19.14%

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

$1.86 CA$2.63

$1.94 CA$2.74

-4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 CA$2.57

$1.57 CA$2.22

15.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 CA$7.79

$6.42 CA$9.08

-14.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.03 CA$7.12

$7.20 CA$10.19

-30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.62 CA$3.70

$2.32 CA$3.28

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 CA$3.96

$3.19 CA$4.51

-12.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.13

$3.19 CA$4.50

13.79%

Eggs

$3.14 CA$4.44

$3.68 CA$5.20

-14.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.88 CA$16.80

$13.24 CA$18.72

-10.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.87 CA$15.36

$11.69 CA$16.53

-7.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.77 CA$22.30

$13.98 CA$19.76

12.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$3.14 CA$4.44

29.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$1.45 CA$2.05

3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 CA$5.44

$3.38 CA$4.78

13.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.75

$3.11 CA$4.40

8.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$1.93 CA$2.72

-9.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.83 CA$2.58

43.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 CA$2.48

$2.36 CA$3.34

-25.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.44

$1.50 CA$2.12

15.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.25 CA$17.32

$11.12 CA$15.73

10.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.91 CA$16.83

$10.60 CA$14.98

12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.83 CA$5.41

$2.22 CA$3.14

72.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 CA$5.36

$2.84 CA$4.01

33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.8 CA$90.2

$79.1 CA$112

-19.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 CA$5.28

$3.23 CA$4.56

15.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 CA$1.24

$1.48 CA$2.10

-40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.68 CA$46.20

$32.22 CA$45.55

1.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CA$1.83

$1.36 CA$1.92

-4.41%

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

$27.7K CA$39.2K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

0.19%

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

$21.2K CA$29.9K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

-0.12%

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

$69.3 CA$98.0

$77.0 CA$109

-10.02%

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

$43.94 CA$62.1

$34.14 CA$48.26

28.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.32 CA$69.7

$42.19 CA$59.7

16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.95 CA$39.51

$30.81 CA$43.56

-9.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.59 CA$9.32

$19.66 CA$27.79

-66.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 CA$14.76

$11.47 CA$16.22

-8.98%

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

$875 CA$1,237

$506 CA$716

72.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,496 CA$13.4K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-41.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.9 CA$93.1

$57.3 CA$81.0

15.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.53 CA$44.57

$38.10 CA$53.9

-17.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 CA$86.3

$91.9 CA$130

-33.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 CA$173

$110 CA$155

11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 CA$1,166

$1,237 CA$1,748

-33.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 CA$827

$977 CA$1,381

-40.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 CA$1,820

$2,180 CA$3,082

-40.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 CA$1,429

$1,608 CA$2,273

-37.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,220 CA$3,138

$5,113 CA$7,228

-56.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,720 CA$2,431

$3,744 CA$5,293

-54.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,775 CA$3,922

$2,957 CA$4,180

-6.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

4.48

6.25%

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

Last update for Sherbrooke: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sherbrooke

$585 35.7%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 67% $392

Groceries & Markets

Sherbrooke

$369 22.5%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 4.8% $18

Eating Out

Sherbrooke

$267 16.3%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 8.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sherbrooke

$163 9.9%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 5.7% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sherbrooke

$126 7.7%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 5.8% $7.3

Getting Around

Sherbrooke

$82 5%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 21.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sherbrooke

$49 3%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 10.1% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $825 in Sherbrooke versus $1,237 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 7% 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 $66.0 in Sherbrooke versus $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $369 in Sherbrooke vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Sherbrooke

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

Same time as Sherbrooke

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,950

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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Sherbrooke Montreal 130 km

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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

Sherbrooke vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 26% more than Sherbrooke, 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 $2,461 per month in Sherbrooke and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sherbrooke, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% 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 $66.0 in Sherbrooke and $73.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sherbrooke, where all-in costs run around $1,641, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Sherbrooke it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sherbrooke costs $1,641 versus $2,059 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 Sherbrooke. 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.