Cost of Living in Montreal

Summary of cost of living in Montreal, Canada:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 17.9 $ 12.89-35.8
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 85.91 $ 50.12-143.19
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.74 $ 10.74-12.89
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.44 $ 4.3-8.59
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 6.44 $ 4.3-8.59
Cappuccino (regular) 3.63 $ 2.47-5.01
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.1 $ 1.43-2.86
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.53 $ 1.28-2.15
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 8.58 $ 5.42-13.55
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.94 $ 1.95-4.22
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.51 $ 0.81-2.86
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.42 $ 2.15-4.3
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.94 $ 3.24-19.48
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.61 $ 2.6-11.95
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.55 $ 3.9-9.09
Apples (1 lb) 1.61 $ 0.72-2.44
Banana (1 lb) 0.65 $ 0.39-1.3
Oranges (1 lb) 1.88 $ 0.72-3.58
Tomato (1 lb) 2.0 $ 0.86-2.92
Potato (1 lb) 1.11 $ 0.43-1.95
Onion (1 lb) 1.07 $ 0.65-1.87
Lettuce (1 head) 2.28 $ 1.43-3.22
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.81 $ 0.72-2.86
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 14.32 $ 10.02-18.61
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 3.4 $ 2.14-5.01
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.45 $ 1.43-5.01
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 11.46 $ 10.31-15.75
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.68 $ 2.51-2.86
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 71.59 $ 68.02-78.75
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.58 $ 2.86-4.3
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.36 $ 2.07-2.74
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 34.44 $ 32.93-50.12
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.59 $ 4.2-5.12
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 24,326.47 $ 22,910.33-25,058.17
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 20,370.18 $ 19,604.5-22,910.33
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 77.93 $ 52.16-114.55
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 37.35 $ 21.48-57.28
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 43.08 $ 32.22-60.86
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 35.82 $ 15.39-60.86
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 13.78 $ 8.59-21.48
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 10.74 $ 9.31-14.32
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 648.33 $ 214.78-904.96
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 5,799.18 $ 3,579.74-16,012.17
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 62.97 $ 35.8-85.91
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 44.11 $ 20.76-71.59
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.09 $ 60.86-128.87
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 106.77 $ 64.44-143.19
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,190.51 $ 930.73-1,431.9
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 962.76 $ 715.95-1,145.52
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,133.35 $ 1,789.87-2,863.79
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 1,559.81 $ 1,288.71-1,933.06
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 669.73 $ 565.36-773.22
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 396.77 $ 332.57-465.59
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2,647.97 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.26 5.0-7.0

Prices in Montreal

This city had 2443 entries in the past 12 months by 392 different contributors.
Last update: October 2024
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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27 Comments so far
Anonymous on Aug 14, 2024:
Using current above data, 2 people with 2 kids no pets make 7323.66 $ / month. Average cost of living without rent is 5148.20$ / month Average rent is 1850$/month now. Total monthly spending is 6998.20$ . Estimated margin is 325.46$ / month, which is 4.4% monthly salary. Conclusion: it is economically risky for a family to live in Montreal as any jump in cost >= 5% will mean you'll have to take on debt.
Anonymous on Jun 30, 2024:
Unfortunately it seems this doesn’t take into consideration income tax which is the highest in North America.
MTL on Jun 20, 2024:
For bilingual folks it is quite easy to find work. Everyghing is more expensive now than five or ten years ago. Life is dynamic and laidback at the same time. The enterntainment is top notch and food quality is really good, tasty and diverse food with plenty of ethnic restorants. Three big drowbacks are the long and cold winters, high taxes and underdeveloped healthcare system, otherwise everything else is really nice.
Michelle on Mar 26, 2024:
Quite shocked by all the negative comments tbh. I moved from Toronto to Montreal 5 years ago, at the time I couldn't find a job holding a mechanical engineering diploma and in Montreal I found a job after a week of applying. I got to mention that it wasn't a dream job the one I found but it allowed me to meet ends and cover bills. In Toronto I was truly struggling financially and the talent competition to get a job was tough. After I arrived I worked my way up in that same company and by changing jobs. I only started learning French a year ago and definitely I was in shocked after seeing my first paycheck and the amount of taxes. Changing from my health card from Ontario to QC was indeed a nightmare.

However I have enjoyed my time here and the language aspect hasn't stopped me from growing professionally
Wayne " Sully "Sullivan on Sep 02, 2023:
I currently live in Fredericton NB. My question is.. Why are utilities a lot cheaper in Montreal than a little New Brunswick city?
Anonymous on Aug 25, 2023:
I’m a québécoise (born in Quebec), and I tend to agree with many of the comments here, namely the high level of corruption, the lack of movement, the insanely high taxes, and most importantly, the highly dysfunctional healthcare system. What a shame for a first world country. With insanely high taxes one would expect a decent healthcare system, but that is simply wishful thinking here. And most people who are part of this system (except for physicians who are granted an EXORBITANT salary, and dentists and cie with their racket) are shockingly underpaid and work in strenuous and abusive conditions. Phds, higher education (unless you’re a medical doctor - which means you’re a demi god here and no rules can ever apply to you - or a dentist) is totally devalued; higher education is a joke intended to extort you, force you to acquire a major debt and then treat you with contempt as you are making less than your high schooler waiter camarades. This include people who produce the actual scientific research that medical doctors so heavily rely upon. But I guess I got carried away and that’s not just an issue in Quebec.

Rent used to be affordable but is now catching up with other provinces and countries, although Montreal is still much cheaper than New York.

By far, the worst aspects of Montreal are its broken healthcare system (which alone make me ashamed of my country) and the harsh climate.

I see many people complaining about the language and, although I never was patriotic and I don’t feel st all emotionally connected to my province, I simply cannot empathize. I think these kind of comments are so out of place. Quebec is basically it’s own country - the official language is French and everybody who come here are warned of this. I think it’s a manifestation of Quebec’s lack of backbone. One of our main strengths is our inclusivity - yet many take advantage of this. Would you expect to get by in France without speaking a single word of French? It’s normal for a region to have certain expectations when it comes to its official language. I’ve learned English on the late but while in Montreal I had a hard time making myself understood in my province official language. Because of our lack of backbone, French in North America will be practically extinct in about 5 years, maybe a little more in more remote areas. And yet, as a nation, we get criticized for expecting people to try to speak our language. I don’t feel especially sad about it - perhaps it’s better for our economy - yet I feel this shameless and entitled attitude from the foreigners is another demonstration of Québec spineless and over accommodating nature.
Marvin Lu on Jul 19, 2023:
My first 20 years were in China, then 5 years in Toronto, and now 5 years in Montreal. Do a good job, keep improving your skills and you'll be fine. For a decent salary, being bilingual (English + French) is very helpful. If you can't do it, then you don't get it. For me, this is a beautiful city.
D Corman on Jun 12, 2023:
I love Montreal more and more.

Let start with the flaws (and solution)
- Healthcare. Difficult to access, long wait. However, 1) you can buy private healthcare for checkup and small surgeries, and 2) there are gov run clinics (CLSC) that are easy to access. Once you're in the system, it goes fast.
- Weather. I hate the winters. Solution, do winter sports, the season goes much faster when you're into it. Travel in February (the worst month) or March (the month that looks like soring one day and the worst of the winter the next!).

The good thing:
Downtown Montreal neighborood (PLateau, Mile End, Little Italy, Old Montreal...) you can walk everywhere. Efficient subway system. Safe and developped bike system. Well, easy to commute (you dont need a car).
Pleasant neighborood. Safe. Diverse.
Awesome gastronomic scene.

+-
I wouldn't consider Montreal cheap at all. It's getting as pricy as Rome or any major European city. But it's the nicest, safest and coolest North American city.
Chill bosby on Dec 21, 2022:
Learn French FFS it's the ONLY official language in Quebec, show some respect.
Richarles on Oct 01, 2022:
I have the possibility of moving to "greater Montreal" with my family by 2023. I would like to live in Boucherville (north of Longueail). For those who know the neighborhoods in the region, how expensive is Boucherville? What comparison can be made with Laval and DDO?
Julie Van Den Bossche on Jul 31, 2022:
Reading all comments below surprises me. It’s like moving to Italy but complaining that it’s unfair you have to speak Italian to earn a living. Yes, the province of Quebec is French speaking. Can you get by on English alone in Montreal? Unlike Italy or Greece or many other countries yes you can. There are neighborhoods in the city where you would never need to even know how to say Bonjour.
Nonetheless, You will love this city! From its old town to very modern neighborhoods like Griffintown. We have great restaurants, some where you can bring your own wine with no uncorking fees. Beautiful terrasses, parks, colours. Enjoy the entire island, not just the downtown core if you are only visiting. Go see the Plateau, Little Italy, Chinatown, walk along the Canal Lachine, Promenade Fleury, eat on a terrasse on the waterfront in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, shop underground in the winter or on Bernard in the summer. We have a beautiful city. Is it the BEST city in the world? Of course not. But Bienvenue if you want it to be home.
Marco on Jul 05, 2022:
I am afraid to say that most comments on this page is right. It might be a good place to stop by for a weekend, but life in that province and Montreal in general is difficult and not worth all the trouble. There are no opportunities for most people, French or not, it is place stuck in the 1970s and highly corrupted, where people are too shy to tell the truth: the problem with Quebec is not the Anglos, the Americans or immigrants as CAQ politicians like to put it, but the Francophone themselves who are scared of everything. It is a place of scared people incapable to think in term of innovation. Do yourself a favour, don't go there. I was born there and left for Vancouver and each time I return I see the place being exactly as it was: stuck in an imaginary past. Vancouver might be expensive, but infrastructures are much better, healthcare works fine and salaries far superior. It is nice and important to speak several languages, but not at the cost of doing a job you don't want because there is nothing else on offer.
Zanzoon on Mar 12, 2022:
Great place to be a student, because it's affordable (by large-city standards), charming, and young people can overlook (or aren't forced to experience) the flaws.

It's definitely the most European city in North America. Although I think too often it mixes the negatives of Europe with the negatives of North America. Still, if you're longing for "european" life without leaving the continent, it's your best choice.

If you can tolerate horrible weather for 4-5 months a year, then it's a great place to experience while you have low standards (as another comment said).

High taxes on everything, low opportunities (especially for non-francophones), poor infrastructure and healthcare, and a small but sizable xenophobic portion of the population makes it a bad long term fit, for most people.
Monika on Feb 15, 2022:
Lived here for 18 months for work purposes and if you want to live here lower your standards very low and then lower them even lower and you will be great! I wouldn't want to live here permanently.
Clownie on Feb 06, 2022:
The whole country is a joke do you think Americans would put up with a curfew for like 5 months like they did here I don't think so
Bob on Feb 02, 2022:
Lifer, half of your rant is about the fact that Montreal is not religious.

That's exactly why it's great, very few kneeling brainwashed idiots.
Lifer on Sep 30, 2021:
I’ve spent 30 years living in the Montréal area.
I speak fluent French, English and I’ve studied abba worked here. I’ve also lived in Ottawa and Japan.
If you’re an intellectual, minority or not, francophone or not, Montréal will END you.
You can be charmed with it’s mediocrity for a while, distracted by the sights and sounds. Don’t judge cities based on their “cultural scene”
Make your choice based on measurable quality of life.
The healthcare system is inconsistent and dysfunctional. This is a bad combination for a cold province. Living in this climate will lead to health problems sooner or later. It would be manageable if you could get prompt medical care, but if it takes you days and weeks to get a vaccination appointment. During covid. You’re going to have a bad time.
You need to understand that unlike Ontario and the United States, for the most part Quebec residents have abandoned the church. To each their own. The net result of this has been a catastrophic impact on the post colonial culture and civilization. Imagine living in a province where the local people have mostly shame, disdain, even hatred for their own past. This is real life here. You hear this in the demoralized way people speak to one another.
Things don’t change in Montreal. They don’t improve. You read about Montreal’s past and something went very wrong. The subversive, language driven separatist propaganda movement destroyed a generation for Montrealers. The only reason the locals haven’t revolted by now and torn down the statues of the corrupt politicians that stole the future from them is they lack perspective and knowledge of their own history. Inflation is out of control. Construction quality is abysmal. Salaries are among the lowest in similarly populated cities in North America.
Focus on ONE thing if you MUST live here:
Educate yourself, then move to a place with reasonable property values, lower taxes, and preferably respectable salt of the earth folks with love and respect for their own history and faith. Civilizations that respect themselves aren’t that insecure about outsiders. Be it ethnic or ideological or whatever. If you’re an intellectual, be somewhere where people are emotionally mature to work remotely comfortably. Quebec companies for the vast majority may never reach the level of organization, profitability and structure of firms in the states that are leading the state of the art in work from anywhere culture.
You need this if you want to live and work comfortably.
People here are inflexible, have a hard time coping with change, even when it’s progress. The suicide rate and death by drunk driving rate are the main demographic leading figures of Quebec. Quebec doesn’t really lead the world in any specifics metric.
The paradox is that rather than drive, desire and a commitment to transformation and making Quebec the #1 province in Canada, which, given the resources at their disposal, there is no rational excuse for it not to be, it absolutely has the potential to be, and yet it is still inexplicably a welfare state.
Quebec is a study in squander. You will find it difficult to comprehend that a province as wealthy in natural resources as Quebec, strategically located suffers a brain drain like few other places in North America. Some of the brightest french Quebecers leave for the states as soon as they are able to.
Don’t waste your time learning French, you’ll wind up like me speaking it better than the locals and mostly met with disdain, contempt.
All they know to say is if you don’t like it leave.
It’s not an analysis and evaluation of the condition of the society that’s based on prejudice, malice or hatred. It’s an accurate reading of history. In a time when societies with far leas strategic advantages have advanced far beyond Quebec, whose moral character is admirable and respectable, Quebec has instead degenerated into a dysfunctional province that perhaps is worst of all for unilingual Francophones.
If one day Quebec becomes a place with the wealthiest, most educated and sophisticated people in all of Canada, I would be pleased. It would be me joy to see the people here flourish.
Basically if you’re from a Muslim family and can afford to study here, you’ll find the local mosques are some of the few spiritual places still being developed in this state. Churches are closing, temples are few, far between and obscure. You’ll do alright in your community, don’t waste your time with the locals, the culture here is a disappointment given the potential these people had coming from a place like France.
Having said that, don’t bother getting involved in local affairs. Get your education and find greener pastures.
Sara on Sep 11, 2021:
They sell horse meat in the food stores, just GROSS!!!
James-Alexandre Fradette on Sep 09, 2021:
@jimmy berry. No C is for canadian dollars. Yes we have our own currancy. Right now 1CAD is 0.79USD so 850C$ is 670USD
Jimmy Berry on Sep 07, 2021:
I know this sounds stupid but if it says
$850....C.$. Does that mean $850 American cash?
Tim K on Aug 28, 2021:
My daughter is going to McGill University in Montreal now. We are from Los Angeles but have family there. She loves it. Does not speak French and gets by. (She speaks Spanish). She was worried about the weather, but has adapted. Loves the diversity and culture. Rents an apartment in the Plateau for $1766 a month and has roomates One year lease. To me, the one paying the bills, it is very cheap compared to UCLA in LA or Berkeley. She chose Montreal because charming city, culture and costs was half other choices. BUT she has said she would not live there after graduating because of limited opportunities for English speakers and ethnic discrimination in favor of native French Canadians. Wife and I however, are thinking of retirement summers in country outside of Montreal and winters here in LA. SO -- over all, decent place to live and study, but you will catch some bad vibes on occasion for not being a native quebecois.
Anonymous on Jul 06, 2021:
It smells here! A lot of smokers and in a city with badly built buildings is problematic. Always find a apartment that is SMOKE FREE!I have never seen people smoke like this plenty of addictions here and to save money on cigarettes French Canadians buy cigarettes made by Indigenous people and they smell like cow poop!
Greg Donovan on Jun 01, 2021:
Montrealer is right to say the city is a joke and I would not recommend anyone who has lived in Europe to move here. Infrastructures are poor, life is expensive (taxes on goods and services are up to 15%, and in most services you need to add tips--even taxi drivers ask you for tips-another 15%, which equals to 30% more than the prices advertised, especially in restaurant), rents are expensive considering the bad quality of new and old buildings, poor (nonexistent) noise insulation (you can hear your neighbours peeing and all the flushing pipes) and food and alcohol are also super expensive--but this is for all Canada. Montreal is indeed highly impacted by corruption, it is very sad, but it is also destroying this city.

Construction seems to be the main industry, here. It was a nice city in the 1970s, but it has been on a downhill since the 1980-90s and now that inequalities are higher than ever, it is a strange place to inhabit-there are a lot of begging and poverty in the city centre, many are First Nations people who have been abandoned by the provincial and federal governments. Because of its small economy organised around services and construction, it is a rather trivial city in North America, many people talk about the art, but it is difficult to see how a place like this can generate any artistic life, especially since rents are now too high for artists to stick around and it is, at the exception of some wealthy neighbourhood, plainly ugly.

It is a city for those who have little ambition and who are happy with doing the same thing and having a small family, watch ice hockey and eating mediocre food like the so-called 'poutine', which is gravy on chips with fake cheese--discussing and utterly disgraceful. It is really for people who have no other options: 1-born here and stuck with a Canadian passport without much education or 2-fleeing difficult conditions from abroad. The weather is very unstable-miserable, most of the sun comes in the late afternoon, the winters can be difficult if you never experienced sub-zero temperatures and the maintenance of roads and pavements is pretty poor, so you can fall on ice and no one will take responsibility. My opinion is to go somewhere else than Montreal if you can. I haven't talked about the little culture war that is at the centre of why this place is so strange. If you have travelled a bit, this place resembles to Asunción in Paraguay, but in the global North. Look at the picture of the city and geographical setting (river, poor infrastructure--the metro is from 1967 and never been updated). It is a city that is stuck in its past and cannot move on.

Now, where I am not agreeing with Montrealer is on the CEGEP, as many programs are meant to train young people to jobs that do not require a university degree and the education is of good quality and free. University education is almost free, 3k a year for citizens from Quebec, and the level is ok, some universities such as McGill and University of Montreal are in the top 100 in the world with a range of programs, but as you can imagine, it is not here that you will get a cutting edge programme, but good enough for local needs, however if you interest is to go abroad, please do your MSc and PhD outside this province and city. In conclusion I would not recommend Montreal, Quebec nor Canada an immigration place if you are full of ambitions and ideas, you would gain more to go to the USA (a place with no identity problem unlike Canada and Quebec) or Australia, otherwise Scandinavia if you want to learn a Nordic language. There are other options in Canada as well, I would avoid Quebec as a Province (they will find all sort of ways to get rid of non-Francophone immigrants) and I would REALLY avoir Montreal, this place is over and post-covid is just going to turn things even worse.
Anonymous on May 10, 2021:
My comment is for "Montrealer" on May 10, 2021
Vraiment? Move out and fast! You clearly are not happy in Montréal.
Montrealer on May 10, 2021:
Corruption in this city is rampant. As evident in the extremely poor quality of the roads due to the local government choosing the contractors with the lowest bid and thus the worse materials to maintain the streets, roads, etc.

If you want to remain sane in this city compare the quality of life to provincial cities of corrupt post-Soviet countries instead of Europe and you will be much happier. Education is a joke, especially when there is a clear divide between publicly-funded high school and private expensive high school where 40% of the city's students are (mostly coming from affluent families or middle-income family who have to sacrifice a big part of their income so that their children don't become drug addicts because of horrible public school system).

This problem is mitigated once you reach higher education, but the CEGEP system is simply a pathetic waste of time, there's a reason it's only used in the province of QC. CEGEP certification is only useful to get admitted to university, so you essentially wasted a year of your life when in every other places you enter university after 12th grade instead of 2 years of CEGEP.

As for discrimination, mastering French is crucial if you want to get any sort of job that pays a livable wage. Otherwise, you can do what most other low-income 1st generation immigrants are doing and have a lot of kids to reap that generous social benefits and welfare and not have to work a day in your life while enjoying services payed by hard-working taxpayers like free healthcare and decent public transport.

In conclusion, this city will be hell for a hard-working middle income family while it is a welfare utopia for low income families who have a lot of children.
Mara on Mar 25, 2021:
I wish Montreal would stop claiming Kamala Harris she left after high school to go to college in America do you really think that if she had stayed in Quebec she would have gotten position equivalent to that of the Vice President of the United States of America yeah right
Anonymous on Feb 28, 2021:
Just responding to COSMOPOLITAN, the "international traveler" who is completely biased in his comment.
Treat people well and you will be treated well in this city.

1. If you don't speak French, you'll be fine. Though government services may be harder to navigate.
2. If you are not quebecois, don't worry about it. Learning a bit of french goes A LONG way though.
3. Yes... the roads are not so good...
4. Yes, the health system is hard to navigate, outdated, and congested.
5. Social life IS excellent.
6. I don't understand this comment.
7. The weather is SUBJECTIVE. Honestly, it's not so bad. HOT summers and often quite cold winters.
8. I consider Montreal to be a GORGEOUS city. The people are wonderful, the accent is charming and the French grows on you.