Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Urbandale, IA and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,059 a month against $2,310 in Urbandale, IA, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Urbandale, IA outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

113

Cost of Living Index in Urbandale, IA
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Urbandale, IA Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Urbandale, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,310

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Urbandale, IA vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Urbandale, IA $2,310
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $3,374 per month in Urbandale, IA vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Urbandale, IA $3,374
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Urbandale, IA vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Urbandale, IA $4,437
Montreal $4,187

Urbandale, IA costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Urbandale, IA and Montreal sit above the global median – Urbandale, IA by 70%, Montreal by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.86 $14.86

$18.84 CA$26.63

-21.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 $50.9

$73.2 CA$104

-30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 $9.96

$10.54 CA$14.90

-5.50%

Cappuccino

$4.97 $4.97

$3.97 CA$5.61

25.19%

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

$1.21 $1.21

$1.94 CA$2.74

-37.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.57 CA$2.22

-36.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 $5.15

$6.42 CA$9.08

-19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 $7.58

$7.20 CA$10.19

5.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.32 CA$3.28

-56.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 $3.25

$3.19 CA$4.51

1.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.84 $3.84

$3.19 CA$4.50

20.38%

Eggs

$2.05 $2.05

$3.68 CA$5.20

-44.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.07 $14.07

$13.24 CA$18.72

6.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 $9.88

$11.69 CA$16.53

-15.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 $13.88

$13.98 CA$19.76

-0.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$3.14 CA$4.44

2.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.45 CA$2.05

11.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$3.38 CA$4.78

2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.11 CA$4.40

5.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.93 CA$2.72

60.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.83 CA$2.58

84.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 $2.14

$2.36 CA$3.34

-9.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.50 CA$2.12

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 $8.16

$11.12 CA$15.73

-26.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.04 $12.04

$10.60 CA$14.98

13.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 $1.82

$2.22 CA$3.14

-18.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 $1.87

$2.84 CA$4.01

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.62 CA$3.71

-21.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 $66.0

$79.1 CA$112

-16.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.23 CA$4.56

-23.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.48 CA$2.10

-18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.2 $60.2

$32.22 CA$45.55

86.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.36 CA$1.92

-27.94%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

25.01%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

20.90%

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

$140 $140

$77.0 CA$109

81.30%

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

$14.79 $14.79

$34.14 CA$48.26

-56.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.01 $25.01

$42.19 CA$59.7

-40.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.57 $35.57

$30.81 CA$43.56

15.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.34 $20.34

$19.66 CA$27.79

3.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.81 $14.81

$11.47 CA$16.22

29.12%

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

$1,164 $1,164

$506 CA$716

130.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K $20.7K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

27.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 $61.3

$57.3 CA$81.0

7.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.96 $21.96

$38.10 CA$53.9

-42.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.54 $45.54

$91.9 CA$130

-50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 $75.1

$110 CA$155

-31.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 $933

$1,237 CA$1,748

-24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 $1,290

$977 CA$1,381

32.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 $1,237

$2,180 CA$3,082

-43.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,164 $2,164

$1,608 CA$2,273

34.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,777 $2,777

$5,113 CA$7,228

-45.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,710 $2,710

$3,744 CA$5,293

-27.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,637 $3,637

$2,957 CA$4,180

23.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.56

4.48

46.43%

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

Last update for Urbandale, IA: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Urbandale, IA

$1.3K 55.9%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 24.3% $314

Groceries & Markets

Urbandale, IA

$342 14.8%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 2.6% $8.9

Eating Out

Urbandale, IA

$258 11.2%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 12.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Urbandale, IA

$179 7.8%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 14.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Urbandale, IA

$92 4%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 45.7% $42

Getting Around

Urbandale, IA

$83 3.6%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 21.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Urbandale, IA

$65 2.8%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 17.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $933 in Urbandale, IA 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 23% higher in Urbandale, IA, 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 $51.0 in Urbandale, IA versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $351 – making Urbandale, IA the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Urbandale, IA

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

20:31 8:31 PM

1 h ahead of Urbandale, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,580

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 21, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Urbandale, IA Montreal 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Urbandale, IA
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

Urbandale, IA vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Urbandale, IA costs about 12% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,465 per month in Urbandale, IA 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Urbandale, IA – 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 $51.0 in Urbandale, IA 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 Urbandale, IA at $2,310. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Urbandale, IA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,059 versus $2,310 in Urbandale, IA. 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, Urbandale, IA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.