Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zion, IL and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Montreal: $2,003 a month against $2,457 in Zion, IL, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Zion, IL
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Zion, IL Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Zion, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$2,457

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,457 per month in Zion, IL vs $2,003 in Montreal, rent included.

Zion, IL $2,457
Montreal $2,003

A couple spends around $3,578 per month in Zion, IL vs $3,048 in Montreal, rent included.

Zion, IL $3,578
Montreal $3,048

A family of three spends $4,698 per month in Zion, IL vs $4,092 in Montreal, rent included.

Zion, IL $4,698
Montreal $4,092

Zion, IL costs about 23% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zion, IL and Montreal sit above the global median – Zion, IL by 83%, Montreal by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 $14.90

$19.31 CA$27.57

-22.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.6 $61.6

$75.5 CA$108

-18.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 $8.14

$10.63 CA$15.17

-23.42%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$3.93 CA$5.61

37.40%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$1.92 CA$2.74

11.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.48 CA$2.11

-27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 $5.57

$6.30 CA$8.99

-11.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 $5.06

$7.19 CA$10.26

-29.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$2.22 CA$3.17

-55.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 $2.41

$3.06 CA$4.37

-21.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$2.94 CA$4.20

40.48%

Eggs

$3.94 $3.94

$3.53 CA$5.04

11.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 $12.28

$13.19 CA$18.83

-6.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.35 $15.35

$11.24 CA$16.05

36.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 $16.44

$13.81 CA$19.72

19.04%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 $5.95

$3.40 CA$4.86

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 $2.30

$1.44 CA$2.06

59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$3.26 CA$4.66

40.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 $4.17

$2.88 CA$4.11

44.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.86 CA$2.65

75.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.82 CA$2.61

47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 $1.96

$2.43 CA$3.46

-19.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.52 CA$2.18

69.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.04 $12.04

$11.45 CA$16.35

5.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.54 $14.54

$10.36 CA$14.79

40.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.22 CA$3.16

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$2.82 CA$4.02

45.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.58 CA$3.68

-29.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.37 $5.37

$3.25 CA$4.64

65.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.48 CA$2.12

96.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 $17.47

$33.04 CA$47.18

-47.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.36 CA$1.94

-19.12%

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

$36.4K $36.4K

$27.4K CA$39.2K

32.71%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

35.14%

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

$223 $223

$76.1 CA$109

193.47%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$34.68 CA$49.52

51.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.9 $65.9

$42.69 CA$61.0

54.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.48 $47.48

$28.94 CA$41.33

64.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$29.03

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 $11.18

$11.21 CA$16.01

-0.27%

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

$1,118 $1,118

$505 CA$721

121.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$16.0K CA$22.9K

-22.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.12 $47.12

$58.5 CA$83.5

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.77 $24.77

$38.00 CA$54.3

-34.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.5 $57.5

$92.7 CA$132

-38.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.6 $50.6

$106 CA$151

-52.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 $1,698

$1,240 CA$1,771

36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 $1,468

$986 CA$1,408

48.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$2,102 CA$3,002

26.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$1,615 CA$2,306

23.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,672 $2,672

$5,043 CA$7,202

-47.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,051 $2,051

$3,830 CA$5,469

-46.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,170

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

4.46

52.91%

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

Last update for Zion, IL: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zion, IL

$1.5K 55.2%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 32.8% $482

Groceries & Markets

Zion, IL

$414 15.6%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 17% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zion, IL

$342 12.8%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 55.1% $188

Eating Out

Zion, IL

$259 9.7%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 13% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Zion, IL

$81 3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 63.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Zion, IL

$70 2.6%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 26.4% $18

Getting Around

Zion, IL

$27 * 1%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 259% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,698 in Zion, IL versus $1,240 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Zion, IL versus $75.0 in Montreal. Groceries tell a different story – $414 in Zion, IL vs $344 in Montreal – so Montreal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Zion, IL

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

1 h ahead of Zion, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,655

1,762,949

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 CAD = 0.7 USD

1 CAD = 0.625 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 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.625 EUR).

CAD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zion, IL Montreal 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zion, IL
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

Zion, IL vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zion, IL costs about 23% more than Montreal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,686 per month in Zion, IL and $3,005 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Zion, IL and $75.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Zion, IL, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Montreal, where all-in costs run around $2,003, than in Zion, IL at $2,457. In Montreal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zion, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Montreal costs $2,003 versus $2,457 in Zion, IL. 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, Zion, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.