Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Squamish, BC and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,634 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

127

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Squamish, BC vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Squamish, BC $2,634
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,904 per month in Squamish, BC vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Squamish, BC $3,904
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $5,175 per month in Squamish, BC vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Squamish, BC $5,175
Montreal $4,152

Squamish, BC costs about 31% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Squamish, BC and Montreal sit above the global median – Squamish, BC by 95%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 CA$22.89

$18.82 CA$26.61

-13.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.77 CA$69.0

$70.3 CA$99.4

-30.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 CA$14.14

$10.66 CA$15.06

-6.10%

Cappuccino

$3.94 CA$5.57

$3.84 CA$5.43

2.60%

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

$1.79 CA$2.53

$1.92 CA$2.71

-6.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$1.54 CA$2.18

-4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$6.23 CA$8.81

-10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 CA$7.96

$7.10 CA$10.03

-20.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 CA$2.48

$2.31 CA$3.27

-23.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 CA$2.97

$3.14 CA$4.44

-33.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$3.21 CA$4.54

7.79%

Eggs

$3.08 CA$4.36

$3.52 CA$4.97

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 CA$17.50

$12.81 CA$18.11

-3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.93 CA$21.11

$11.46 CA$16.20

30.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.16 CA$27.08

$13.39 CA$18.92

43.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 CA$7.50

$3.14 CA$4.43

69.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.44 CA$2.03

-19.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 CA$6.93

$3.47 CA$4.91

41.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.90

$3.07 CA$4.34

13.03%

Potato (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$1.90 CA$2.69

118.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.49

$1.77 CA$2.50

39.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CA$3.47

$2.34 CA$3.31

5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 CA$2.63

$1.55 CA$2.19

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.86 CA$21.00

$11.38 CA$16.09

30.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 CA$14.96

$10.63 CA$15.03

-0.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$4.01

$2.27 CA$3.21

24.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 CA$4.98

$2.82 CA$3.99

24.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.66 CA$3.76

-46.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.87 CA$42.22

$77.3 CA$109

-61.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 CA$5.09

$3.20 CA$4.53

12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.48 CA$2.09

-6.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.89 CA$35.18

$32.88 CA$46.48

-24.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.60

$1.34 CA$1.90

-15.67%

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

$26.2K CA$37.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-7.09%

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

$18.6K CA$26.3K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-5.28%

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

$116 CA$165

$76.0 CA$107

53.32%

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

$42.93 CA$60.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

26.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.6 CA$88.5

$42.31 CA$59.8

47.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 CA$72.1

$29.76 CA$42.07

71.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 CA$16.14

$11.15 CA$15.77

2.42%

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

$1,084 CA$1,532

$507 CA$717

113.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,273 CA$11.7K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-48.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$57.6 CA$81.4

-10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.42 CA$57.1

$37.58 CA$53.1

7.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 CA$112

$91.9 CA$130

-13.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 CA$134

$110 CA$155

-13.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 CA$2,213

$1,260 CA$1,782

24.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 CA$2,145

$948 CA$1,340

60.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,188 CA$4,506

$2,137 CA$3,021

49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,719 CA$3,843

$1,614 CA$2,281

68.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,931 CA$8,384

$4,960 CA$7,011

19.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,077 CA$4,351

$2,827 CA$3,997

8.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

4.48

5.36%

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

Last update for Squamish, BC: 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

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 57.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 37.5% $570

Groceries & Markets

Squamish, BC

$396 15.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 12.6% $50

Eating Out

Squamish, BC

$259 9.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 11.1% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Squamish, BC

$222 8.4%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 31.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Squamish, BC

$120 4.5%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 11.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 29.5% $22

Getting Around

Squamish, BC

$46 1.8%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 114% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,565 in Squamish, BC 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 9% higher in Squamish, BC, 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 $49.00 in Squamish, BC versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $396 in Squamish, BC vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

18:42 6:42 PM

3 h ahead of Squamish, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,512

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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Between locations

Squamish, BC Montreal 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Squamish, BC
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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

Squamish, BC vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Squamish, BC costs about 31% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,951 per month in Squamish, BC 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 14% more in Squamish, BC, 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 $49.00 in Squamish, BC 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 Squamish, BC at $2,634. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Squamish, BC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,634 in Squamish, BC. 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, Squamish, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.