Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaughan and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,554 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vaughan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

123

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,554 per month in Vaughan vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Vaughan $2,554
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,726 per month in Vaughan vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Vaughan $3,726
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $4,898 per month in Vaughan vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Vaughan $4,898
Montreal $4,152

Vaughan costs about 27% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vaughan and Montreal sit above the global median – Vaughan by 89%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 CA$23.66

$18.82 CA$26.61

-11.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 CA$95.4

$70.3 CA$99.4

-4.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 CA$14.13

$10.66 CA$15.06

-6.29%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.15

$3.84 CA$5.43

-5.21%

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

$1.97 CA$2.78

$1.92 CA$2.71

2.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$1.54 CA$2.18

1.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 CA$8.89

$6.23 CA$8.81

0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CA$8.58

$7.10 CA$10.03

-14.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.31 CA$3.27

-16.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$3.14 CA$4.44

-28.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$3.21 CA$4.54

-16.20%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.22

$3.52 CA$4.97

-15.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.03

$12.81 CA$18.11

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 CA$17.10

$11.46 CA$16.20

5.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 CA$19.22

$13.39 CA$18.92

1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$3.14 CA$4.43

8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.44 CA$2.03

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$3.47 CA$4.91

0.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$3.07 CA$4.34

4.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$1.90 CA$2.69

-16.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.77 CA$2.50

-10.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$2.34 CA$3.31

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$1.55 CA$2.19

-24.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 CA$17.68

$11.38 CA$16.09

9.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 CA$16.85

$10.63 CA$15.03

12.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.78

$2.27 CA$3.21

-13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.82 CA$3.99

-49.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 CA$3.87

$2.66 CA$3.76

3.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CA$147

$77.3 CA$109

34.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.32

$3.20 CA$4.53

-4.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 CA$1.69

$1.48 CA$2.09

-19.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.75 CA$30.74

$32.88 CA$46.48

-33.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.34 CA$1.90

-18.66%

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

$24.1K CA$34.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-14.49%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-4.09%

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

$110 CA$156

$76.0 CA$107

45.25%

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

$29.17 CA$41.24

$33.95 CA$48.00

-14.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.57 CA$70.1

$42.31 CA$59.8

17.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.67 CA$44.77

$29.76 CA$42.07

6.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.84 CA$29.46

$20.28 CA$28.67

2.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 CA$13.80

$11.15 CA$15.77

-12.47%

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

$910 CA$1,286

$507 CA$717

79.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K CA$24.0K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

5.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 CA$59.4

$57.6 CA$81.4

-26.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 CA$52.0

$37.58 CA$53.1

-2.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$150

$91.9 CA$130

15.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$110 CA$155

-4.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 CA$2,359

$1,260 CA$1,782

32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CA$2,090

$948 CA$1,340

55.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,629 CA$3,716

$2,137 CA$3,021

23.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,415

$1,614 CA$2,281

49.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 CA$12.3K

$4,960 CA$7,011

75.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,171 CA$8,724

$3,838 CA$5,425

60.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 CA$4,107

$2,827 CA$3,997

2.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

4.48

20.31%

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

Last update for Vaughan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vaughan

$1.5K 57.9%

Montreal

$948 47% 35.9% $531

Groceries & Markets

Vaughan

$316 12.4%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 9.8% $31

Eating Out

Vaughan

$265 10.4%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaughan

$189 7.4%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 19.5% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Vaughan

$130 5.1%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 2.5% $3.3

Getting Around

Vaughan

$124 4.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 20.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Vaughan

$51 2%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 1.7% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,669 in Vaughan versus $1,260 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 3% higher in Vaughan, 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 $67.0 in Vaughan versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $346 – making Vaughan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as Vaughan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,103

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

On the map

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Between locations

Vaughan Montreal 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Vaughan
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

Vaughan vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vaughan costs about 27% 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 $3,831 per month in Vaughan and $3,027 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 10% cheaper in Vaughan – 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 $67.0 in Vaughan and $70.0 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 $2,018, than in Vaughan at $2,554. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaughan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,554 in Vaughan. 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, Vaughan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.