Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Thompson: $1,806 a month against $2,064 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
Learn more

Thompson Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Thompson vs $2,064 in Montreal, rent included.

Thompson $1,806
Montreal $2,064

A couple spends around $2,737 per month in Thompson vs $3,156 in Montreal, rent included.

Thompson $2,737
Montreal $3,156

A family of three spends $3,669 per month in Thompson vs $4,247 in Montreal, rent included.

Thompson $3,669
Montreal $4,247

Thompson is about 13% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thompson and Montreal sit above the global median – Thompson by 33%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.00 CA$25.26

$18.98 CA$26.64

-5.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 CA$90.4

$73.0 CA$102

-11.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.76

$10.88 CA$15.27

-3.31%

Cappuccino

$3.72 CA$5.22

$3.81 CA$5.35

-2.36%

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

$1.97 CA$2.77

$1.94 CA$2.72

1.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.25

$1.58 CA$2.22

1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.16 CA$7.24

$6.37 CA$8.94

-19.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 CA$8.07

$7.26 CA$10.20

-20.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.94

$2.23 CA$3.13

-6.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.59

$3.17 CA$4.45

-19.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$3.31 CA$4.64

6.04%

Eggs

$3.49 CA$4.90

$3.63 CA$5.09

-3.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.44

$13.16 CA$18.47

-21.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 CA$16.33

$11.56 CA$16.22

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 CA$20.89

$13.71 CA$19.25

8.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.52

$3.29 CA$4.62

19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.92

$1.46 CA$2.05

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.58

$3.37 CA$4.73

18.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.36

$3.15 CA$4.42

21.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.30

$1.89 CA$2.65

24.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.10

$1.79 CA$2.52

23.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.49

$2.47 CA$3.47

0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$1.58 CA$2.22

5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.65

$11.28 CA$15.84

24.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 CA$17.71

$10.49 CA$14.73

20.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$3.97

$2.34 CA$3.28

20.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.46

$2.91 CA$4.09

9.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.23

$2.61 CA$3.66

-11.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 CA$93.8

$79.1 CA$111

-15.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 CA$4.22

$3.26 CA$4.57

-7.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$1.44 CA$2.02

-4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 CA$33.51

$33.43 CA$46.92

-28.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.54

$1.33 CA$1.87

-17.29%

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

$28.2K CA$39.6K

$28.6K CA$40.2K

-1.52%

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

$23.6K CA$33.1K

$21.1K CA$29.6K

11.76%

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

$136 CA$191

$80.1 CA$112

70.23%

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

$39.10 CA$54.9

$34.30 CA$48.14

13.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 CA$77.0

$42.85 CA$60.1

28.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.46 CA$52.6

$31.14 CA$43.71

20.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$24.99

$19.41 CA$27.24

-8.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 CA$14.68

$11.23 CA$15.76

-6.86%

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

$664 CA$931

$525 CA$737

26.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K CA$16.0K

$16.3K CA$22.9K

-29.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 CA$76.3

$58.0 CA$81.4

-6.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$54.8

$38.11 CA$53.5

2.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$123

$93.4 CA$131

-6.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$144

$110 CA$155

-6.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 CA$964

$1,285 CA$1,803

-46.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$945

$977 CA$1,371

-31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 CA$1,556

$2,271 CA$3,187

-51.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 CA$1,563

$1,665 CA$2,336

-33.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,361 CA$6,120

$5,139 CA$7,212

-15.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 CA$4,713

$3,834 CA$5,381

-12.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,567 CA$2,199

$3,002 CA$4,213

-47.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

4.48

4.46%

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

Last update for Thompson: October 24, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thompson

$674 37.3%

Montreal

$977 47.3% 45% $303

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$358 19.8%

Montreal

$351 17% 2% $7.1

Eating Out

Thompson

$272 15.1%

Montreal

$291 14.1% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$230 12.8%

Montreal

$157 7.6% 31.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$128 7.1%

Montreal

$135 6.5% 5.7% $7.3

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 16.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$58 3.2%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 8.2% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $687 in Thompson 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.

Salaries run about 92% higher in Montreal. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Thompson versus $73 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Thompson vs $351 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

00:53 12:53 AM

1 h ahead of Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thompson Montreal 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

Thompson vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 14% more than Thompson, 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 $2,709 per month in Thompson 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 Thompson, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $687 there versus $1,285 in Montreal.

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

Public transport costs about 15% less in Thompson. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thompson, where all-in costs run around $1,806, than in Montreal at $2,064. In Thompson it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Montreal has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,806 in Thompson to $2,064 in Montreal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Thompson. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.