Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St.Catharines and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,309 in St.Catharines, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in St.Catharines outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

112

Cost of Living Index in St.Catharines
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St.Catharines Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,309

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,309 per month in St.Catharines vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

St.Catharines $2,309
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $3,210 per month in St.Catharines vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

St.Catharines $3,210
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $4,111 per month in St.Catharines vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

St.Catharines $4,111
Montreal $4,187

St.Catharines costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both St.Catharines and Montreal sit above the global median – St.Catharines by 70%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.32 CA$20.24

$18.84 CA$26.63

-23.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 CA$81.5

$73.2 CA$104

-21.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 CA$17.86

$10.54 CA$14.90

19.83%

Cappuccino

$3.03 CA$4.29

$3.97 CA$5.61

-23.68%

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

$1.65 CA$2.34

$1.94 CA$2.74

-14.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.27

$1.57 CA$2.22

1.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 CA$6.58

$6.42 CA$9.08

-27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 CA$6.52

$7.20 CA$10.19

-35.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.96

$2.32 CA$3.28

-9.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$3.19 CA$4.51

-31.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.60 CA$6.50

$3.19 CA$4.50

44.20%

Eggs

$4.28 CA$6.06

$3.68 CA$5.20

16.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 CA$21.06

$13.24 CA$18.72

12.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.22 CA$15.86

$11.69 CA$16.53

-4.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 CA$19.85

$13.98 CA$19.76

0.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 CA$7.34

$3.14 CA$4.44

65.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 CA$1.57

$1.45 CA$2.05

-23.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 CA$6.17

$3.38 CA$4.78

28.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.85

$3.11 CA$4.40

33.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.93 CA$2.72

46.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.39 CA$6.20

$1.83 CA$2.58

139.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 CA$3.67

$2.36 CA$3.34

10.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CA$1.83

$1.50 CA$2.12

-14.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 CA$19.41

$11.12 CA$15.73

23.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 CA$17.88

$10.60 CA$14.98

19.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 CA$4.24

$2.22 CA$3.14

35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CA$4.28

$2.84 CA$4.01

6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 CA$3.48

$2.62 CA$3.71

-6.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 CA$100

$79.1 CA$112

-10.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 CA$4.07

$3.23 CA$4.56

-10.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.48 CA$2.10

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 CA$31.50

$32.22 CA$45.55

-30.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.36 CA$1.92

-15.44%

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

$26.4K CA$37.4K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-4.43%

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

$22.0K CA$31.1K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

3.74%

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

$178 CA$251

$77.0 CA$109

130.91%

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

$33.39 CA$47.21

$34.14 CA$48.26

-2.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.75 CA$67.5

$42.19 CA$59.7

13.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.41 CA$44.41

$30.81 CA$43.56

1.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.10 CA$58.1

$19.66 CA$27.79

109.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 CA$15.60

$11.47 CA$16.22

-3.75%

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

$504 CA$713

$506 CA$716

-0.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K CA$39.0K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

70.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 CA$104

$57.3 CA$81.0

28.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 CA$73.8

$38.10 CA$53.9

37.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 CA$113

$91.9 CA$130

-12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 CA$108

$110 CA$155

-30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 CA$1,710

$1,237 CA$1,748

-2.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,159 CA$1,638

$977 CA$1,381

18.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 CA$2,413

$2,180 CA$3,082

-21.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 CA$2,201

$1,608 CA$2,273

-3.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,026 CA$4,277

$5,113 CA$7,228

-40.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 CA$3,824

$3,744 CA$5,293

-27.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,969 CA$4,198

$2,957 CA$4,180

0.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.71

4.48

27.46%

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

Last update for St.Catharines: October 17, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St.Catharines

$1.2K 50.2%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 15.7% $182

Groceries & Markets

St.Catharines

$381 16.5%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St.Catharines

$259 11.2%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 40.8% $106

Eating Out

St.Catharines

$234 10.2%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 24% $56

Clothing & Footwear

St.Catharines

$127 5.5%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 5.1% $6.5

Getting Around

St.Catharines

$95 4.1%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 5.9% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

St.Catharines

$53 2.3%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 0.5% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,210 in St.Catharines 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 0% higher in St.Catharines, 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines versus $73.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $381 in St.Catharines vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St.Catharines

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

Same time as St.Catharines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,113

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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St.Catharines Montreal 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

St.Catharines
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.Catharines vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St.Catharines costs about 12% 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 $3,464 per month in St.Catharines 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 Montreal, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in St.Catharines, 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 $58.0 in St.Catharines and $73.0 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 $2,059, than in St.Catharines at $2,309. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in St.Catharines it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,309 in St.Catharines. 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, St.Catharines makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.