Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,067 a month against $4,375 in St Thomas, rent and utilities included – about $27,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

210

Cost of Living Index in St Thomas
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St Thomas Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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St Thomas

🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands

$4,375

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/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 $4,375 per month in St Thomas vs $2,067 in Montreal, rent included.

St Thomas $4,375
Montreal $2,067

A couple spends around $7,200 per month in St Thomas vs $3,179 in Montreal, rent included.

St Thomas $7,200
Montreal $3,179

A family of three spends $10.0K per month in St Thomas vs $4,291 in Montreal, rent included.

St Thomas $10.0K
Montreal $4,291

St Thomas costs about 112% 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 224%, Montreal by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 $22.37

$18.89 CA$26.48

18.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$167 $167

$72.6 CA$102

130.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.67 $13.67

$10.79 CA$15.13

26.69%

Cappuccino

$5.86 $5.86

$3.98 CA$5.58

47.24%

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

$4.11 $4.11

$2.02 CA$2.83

103.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.63 CA$2.29

108.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.94 $4.94

$6.32 CA$8.86

-21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.95 $6.95

$7.06 CA$9.90

-1.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 $2.83

$2.33 CA$3.27

21.46%

White Bread (500g)

$6.51 $6.51

$3.25 CA$4.55

100.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$18.92 $18.92

$3.26 CA$4.58

480.37%

Eggs

$8.96 $8.96

$3.48 CA$4.87

157.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 $11.53

$13.73 CA$19.25

-16.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.41 $28.41

$11.48 CA$16.09

147.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.70 $39.70

$14.26 CA$19.99

178.40%

Apples (1kg)

$12.31 $12.31

$3.52 CA$4.94

249.72%

Banana (1kg)

$10.80 $10.80

$1.46 CA$2.04

639.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$12.27 $12.27

$3.41 CA$4.78

259.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$20.18 $20.18

$3.20 CA$4.49

530.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$1.94 CA$2.71

1.03%

Onion (1kg)

$8.78 $8.78

$1.78 CA$2.50

393.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$7.91 $7.91

$2.52 CA$3.53

213.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$5.66 $5.66

$1.58 CA$2.22

258.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

Wine (Bottle)

$24.58 $24.58

$10.57 CA$14.82

132.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 $6.07

$2.90 CA$4.06

109.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.61 CA$3.66

-22.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 $60.7

$78.5 CA$110

-22.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.70 $19.70

$3.17 CA$4.45

521.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.49 CA$2.09

110.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 $1.40

$1.36 CA$1.91

2.94%

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

$54.1K $54.1K

$28.0K CA$39.3K

92.95%

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

$48.3K $48.3K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

128.63%

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

$451 $451

$77.6 CA$109

481.21%

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

$101 $101

$35.63 CA$49.94

182.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$153 $153

$43.73 CA$61.3

248.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$166 $166

$30.07 CA$42.16

451.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$11.27 CA$15.80

-10.47%

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

$1,502 $1,502

$522 CA$732

187.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K $22.4K

$17.8K CA$24.9K

25.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 $115

$59.0 CA$82.7

94.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$149 $149

$39.01 CA$54.7

281.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$199 $199

$99.8 CA$140

99.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 $148

$110 CA$154

34.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 $1,604

$1,298 CA$1,820

23.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 $1,786

$970 CA$1,360

84.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,297 $3,297

$2,323 CA$3,257

41.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,222 $4,222

$1,689 CA$2,368

149.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,832 $4,832

$5,004 CA$7,014

-3.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.6K $10.6K

$3,736 CA$5,237

183.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,723 $2,723

$2,943 CA$4,125

-7.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

4.51

109.53%

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

Last update for St Thomas: November 3, 2026

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Thomas

$1.8K 40.8%

Montreal

$970 47% 45.7% $815

Groceries & Markets

St Thomas

$961 * 22%

Montreal

$357 17.3% 62.8% $604

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Thomas

$704 16.1%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 77.7% $547

Eating Out

St Thomas

$359 8.2%

Montreal

$292 14.1% 18.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

St Thomas

$275 6.3%

Montreal

$138 6.7% 49.6% $136

Sport & Entertainment

St Thomas

$186 4.3%

Montreal

$53 2.6% 71.7% $133

Getting Around

St Thomas

$104 2.4%

Montreal

$100 4.8% 4.4% $4.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in St Thomas versus $1,298 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 8% higher in Montreal, 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 $167 in St Thomas versus $73 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $961 vs $357 – making Montreal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇮 St Thomas

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

01:49 1:49 AM

1 h behind St Thomas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

St Thomas Montreal 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 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 112% 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 $6,562 per month in St Thomas and $3,100 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,298 there versus $1,604 in St Thomas.

Groceries cost about 169% more in St Thomas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $167 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 $4,375 in St Thomas and $2,067 in Montreal. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Montreal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.