Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Victoria and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,018 a month against $2,536 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
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Victoria Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Victoria

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,536 per month in Victoria vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Victoria $2,536
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $3,847 per month in Victoria vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Victoria $3,847
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $5,159 per month in Victoria vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Victoria $5,159
Montreal $4,152

Victoria costs about 26% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Victoria and Montreal sit above the global median – Victoria by 88%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.21 CA$27.16

$18.82 CA$26.61

2.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 CA$99.2

$70.3 CA$99.4

-0.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 CA$15.59

$10.66 CA$15.06

3.47%

Cappuccino

$4.41 CA$6.23

$3.84 CA$5.43

14.84%

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

$2.33 CA$3.30

$1.92 CA$2.71

21.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 CA$2.65

$1.54 CA$2.18

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 CA$7.97

$6.23 CA$8.81

-9.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 CA$9.31

$7.10 CA$10.03

-7.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 CA$3.86

$2.31 CA$3.27

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.98 CA$4.22

$3.14 CA$4.44

-5.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.68

$3.21 CA$4.54

25.23%

Eggs

$4.14 CA$5.85

$3.52 CA$4.97

17.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.73 CA$37.79

$12.81 CA$18.11

108.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 CA$17.62

$11.46 CA$16.20

8.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 CA$20.25

$13.39 CA$18.92

6.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$3.14 CA$4.43

24.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

Oranges (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.57

$3.47 CA$4.91

13.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.94

$3.07 CA$4.34

36.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 CA$4.89

$1.90 CA$2.69

82.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 CA$4.03

$1.77 CA$2.50

61.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.17 CA$4.49

$2.34 CA$3.31

35.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.46

$1.55 CA$2.19

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.95 CA$21.13

$11.38 CA$16.09

31.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.38 CA$24.58

$10.63 CA$15.03

63.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 CA$5.40

$2.27 CA$3.21

68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 CA$4.85

$2.82 CA$3.99

21.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.04 CA$2.89

$2.66 CA$3.76

-23.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.0 CA$84.8

$77.3 CA$109

-22.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$3.20 CA$4.53

-13.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 CA$2.17

$1.48 CA$2.09

3.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 CA$48.09

$32.88 CA$46.48

3.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 CA$2.00

$1.34 CA$1.90

5.22%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-2.74%

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

$18.5K CA$26.2K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

-5.70%

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

$104 CA$147

$76.0 CA$107

37.01%

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

$44.32 CA$62.7

$33.95 CA$48.00

30.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 CA$86.1

$42.31 CA$59.8

43.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.17 CA$61.0

$29.76 CA$42.07

45.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.01 CA$24.05

$20.28 CA$28.67

-16.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.63 CA$15.03

$11.15 CA$15.77

-4.66%

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

$886 CA$1,252

$507 CA$717

74.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K CA$32.8K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

44.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 CA$75.5

$57.6 CA$81.4

-7.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.58 CA$61.6

$37.58 CA$53.1

15.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 CA$127

$91.9 CA$130

-2.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$149

$110 CA$155

-3.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CA$2,151

$1,260 CA$1,782

20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 CA$1,831

$948 CA$1,340

36.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,720 CA$3,845

$2,137 CA$3,021

27.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,315 CA$3,273

$1,614 CA$2,281

43.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,206 CA$7,359

$4,960 CA$7,011

4.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,371 CA$6,179

$3,838 CA$5,425

13.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,251 CA$4,595

$2,827 CA$3,997

14.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.31

4.48

-3.79%

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

Last update for Victoria: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Victoria

$1.3K 51.1%

Montreal

$948 47% 26.9% $348

Groceries & Markets

Victoria

$459 18.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 24.5% $113

Eating Out

Victoria

$298 11.7%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 3.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Victoria

$209 8.3%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 27.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Victoria

$132 5.2%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 1.4% $1.8

Getting Around

Victoria

$79 3.1%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 25.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Victoria

$64 2.5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 19.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,521 in Victoria 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 15% higher in Victoria, 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 $70.0 in Victoria versus $70.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $459 in Victoria vs $346 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Victoria

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

09:09 9:09 AM

3 h ahead of Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,792

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

Victoria Montreal 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Victoria
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

Victoria vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Victoria costs about 26% 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 $3,804 per month in Victoria 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.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Victoria, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Victoria 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 Victoria at $2,536. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Victoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,018 versus $2,536 in Victoria. 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, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.