Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Albert, AB and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Albert, AB: $1,167 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Montreal outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in St. Albert, AB
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St. Albert, AB Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,167

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $1,167
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $2,457 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $2,457
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $3,747 per month in St. Albert, AB vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

St. Albert, AB $3,747
Montreal $4,152

St. Albert, AB is about 42% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

St. Albert, AB sits 14% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.29 CA$27.27

$18.82 CA$26.61

2.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.2 CA$97.9

$70.3 CA$99.4

-1.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 CA$14.00

$10.66 CA$15.06

-7.13%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.38

$3.84 CA$5.43

-0.78%

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

$2.05 CA$2.90

$1.92 CA$2.71

6.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 CA$2.82

$1.54 CA$2.18

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 CA$7.11

$6.23 CA$8.81

-19.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 CA$7.97

$7.10 CA$10.03

-20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 CA$2.37

$2.31 CA$3.27

-27.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.07

$3.14 CA$4.44

-30.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.30

$3.21 CA$4.54

-5.30%

Eggs

$3.46 CA$4.89

$3.52 CA$4.97

-1.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 CA$16.14

$12.81 CA$18.11

-10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 CA$16.03

$11.46 CA$16.20

-1.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.19 CA$25.71

$13.39 CA$18.92

35.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.96

$3.14 CA$4.43

34.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 CA$1.96

$1.44 CA$2.03

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.29 CA$6.06

$3.47 CA$4.91

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 CA$5.59

$3.07 CA$4.34

28.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.90 CA$2.69

38.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.77 CA$2.50

49.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CA$3.64

$2.34 CA$3.31

9.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.20

$1.55 CA$2.19

0.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.93 CA$19.70

$11.38 CA$16.09

22.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 CA$16.57

$10.63 CA$15.03

10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 CA$3.43

$2.27 CA$3.21

7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 CA$2.88

$2.66 CA$3.76

-23.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 CA$85.6

$77.3 CA$109

-21.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 CA$4.14

$3.20 CA$4.53

-8.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 CA$1.93

$1.48 CA$2.09

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.90 CA$29.54

$32.88 CA$46.48

-36.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.56

$1.34 CA$1.90

-17.91%

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

$27.3K CA$38.6K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-3.12%

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

$19.5K CA$27.5K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-0.84%

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

$160 CA$227

$76.0 CA$107

110.99%

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

$38.86 CA$54.9

$33.95 CA$48.00

14.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.4

$42.31 CA$59.8

24.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 CA$56.6

$29.76 CA$42.07

34.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 CA$17.90

$11.15 CA$15.77

13.54%

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

$748 CA$1,057

$507 CA$717

47.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,306 CA$13.2K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-42.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 CA$78.8

$57.6 CA$81.4

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$55.2

$37.58 CA$53.1

3.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 CA$118

$91.9 CA$130

-9.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$110 CA$155

0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 CA$1,886

$2,137 CA$3,021

-37.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 CA$1,589

$1,614 CA$2,281

-30.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,488 CA$3,517

$4,960 CA$7,011

-49.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,492 CA$3,523

$3,838 CA$5,425

-35.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,157 CA$4,462

$2,827 CA$3,997

11.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

4.48

0.67%

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

Last update for St. Albert, AB: October 12, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

St. Albert, AB

$360 30.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 3.7% $13

Eating Out

St. Albert, AB

$282 24.2%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 2% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Albert, AB

$252 21.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 39.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

St. Albert, AB

$130 11.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 2.8% $3.7

Getting Around

St. Albert, AB

$78 6.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 25.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

St. Albert, AB

$65 5.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 20.3% $13

Accommodation & Living

St. Albert, AB

- * 0%

Montreal

$948 47%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 12% higher in St. Albert, AB, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in St. Albert, AB versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $360 in St. Albert, AB vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Albert, AB

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

2 h ahead of St. Albert, AB

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,232

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

St. Albert, AB Montreal 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

St. Albert, AB
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

St. Albert, AB vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 73% more than St. Albert, AB, 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 $1,751 per month in St. Albert, AB and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% 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 $69.0 in St. Albert, AB and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Albert, AB, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Montreal at $2,018. In St. Albert, AB it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. St. Albert, AB costs $1,167 versus $2,018 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 St. Albert, AB. 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.