Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Thomas, Canada and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,064 a month against $2,436 in St. Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

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

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,436

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,436 per month in St. Thomas vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

St. Thomas $2,436
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in St. Thomas vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

St. Thomas $3,399
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $4,363 per month in St. Thomas vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

St. Thomas $4,363
Montreal $4,247

St. Thomas costs about 18% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. Thomas and Montreal sit above the global median – St. Thomas by 79%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 CA$30.13

$18.98 CA$26.53

13.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$88.9

$73.0 CA$102

-12.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 CA$15.67

$10.88 CA$15.20

3.12%

Cappuccino

$3.45 CA$4.82

$3.81 CA$5.33

-9.45%

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

$2.11 CA$2.95

$1.94 CA$2.71

8.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.28

$1.58 CA$2.21

3.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.85 CA$6.77

$6.37 CA$8.90

-23.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 CA$8.59

$7.26 CA$10.15

-15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$2.23 CA$3.11

-0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 CA$3.85

$3.17 CA$4.44

-12.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CA$5.28

$3.31 CA$4.62

14.20%

Eggs

$3.27 CA$4.57

$3.63 CA$5.07

-9.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 CA$14.04

$13.16 CA$18.39

-23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.80 CA$22.07

$11.56 CA$16.15

36.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.72 CA$27.56

$13.71 CA$19.16

43.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 CA$5.73

$3.29 CA$4.60

24.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 CA$1.78

$1.46 CA$2.04

-12.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$3.37 CA$4.71

8.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.68

$3.15 CA$4.40

28.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 CA$4.61

$1.89 CA$2.64

74.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 CA$4.27

$1.79 CA$2.51

70.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.01

$2.47 CA$3.45

16.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.17

$1.58 CA$2.21

-1.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.23 CA$15.70

$11.28 CA$15.77

-0.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 CA$17.48

$10.49 CA$14.66

19.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.52

$2.34 CA$3.26

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CA$4.06

$2.91 CA$4.07

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 CA$3.06

$2.61 CA$3.65

-16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 CA$95.2

$79.1 CA$111

-13.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 CA$3.32

$3.26 CA$4.56

-26.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$1.44 CA$2.01

15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.83 CA$31.91

$33.43 CA$46.71

-31.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.64

$1.33 CA$1.86

-12.03%

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

$27.0K CA$37.8K

$28.6K CA$40.0K

-5.63%

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

$23.1K CA$32.2K

$21.1K CA$29.5K

9.25%

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

$126 CA$176

$80.1 CA$112

57.24%

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

$42.99 CA$60.1

$34.30 CA$47.93

25.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 CA$80.2

$42.85 CA$59.9

33.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.32 CA$55.0

$31.14 CA$43.52

26.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 CA$23.84

$19.41 CA$27.12

-12.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.65 CA$14.88

$11.23 CA$15.69

-5.16%

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

$421 CA$588

$525 CA$734

-19.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K CA$24.2K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

6.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 CA$75.4

$58.0 CA$81.0

-7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.85 CA$51.5

$38.11 CA$53.3

-3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 CA$115

$93.4 CA$131

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 CA$126

$110 CA$154

-17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 CA$1,625

$1,285 CA$1,796

-9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 CA$1,740

$977 CA$1,365

27.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 CA$3,180

$2,271 CA$3,173

0.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 CA$2,319

$1,665 CA$2,326

-0.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,403 CA$6,152

$5,139 CA$7,181

-14.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,575 CA$4,996

$3,834 CA$5,358

-6.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,004 CA$4,197

$3,002 CA$4,195

0.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.48

11.38%

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

Last update for St. Thomas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Thomas

$1.2K 51.1%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 21.6% $269

Groceries & Markets

St. Thomas

$399 16.4%

Montreal

$351 17% 12% $48

Eating Out

St. Thomas

$299 12.3%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 2.8% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Thomas

$226 9.3%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 30.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

St. Thomas

$119 4.9%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 13.7% $16

Getting Around

St. Thomas

$88 3.6%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 14.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

St. Thomas

$61 2.5%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 11.6% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,163 in St. Thomas versus $1,285 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in St. Thomas versus $73 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in St. Thomas vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

Same time as St. Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,909

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

St. Thomas Montreal 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

St. Thomas costs about 18% 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 $3,654 per month in St. Thomas and $3,096 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Thomas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,163 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

Groceries cost about 14% more in St. Thomas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in St. Thomas and $73 in Montreal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,436 in St. Thomas and $2,064 in Montreal. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,064 in Montreal to $2,436 in St. Thomas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.