# Cost of living in Montreal, Canada

> The cheapest large city in North America with real urban density, subsidised childcare, and a French-first working culture.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/montreal
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 41% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** CAD
- **Region:** North America
- **Cost index:** 40 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $2,569 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $3,519 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $6,343 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $1,300 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $68 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $68 | derived | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $55 | derived | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $408 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $102 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $77 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $46 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $41 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $79 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $73 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $8.10 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $40 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $11 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $98 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $94 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$2,569** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Canada:

- Income tax: $29,518
- Employee social contributions: $3,620
- Take-home: $66,863/year ($5,572/month)
- Effective rate: 33.1%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $3,003/month

Average local net salary: $2,900/month, which covers 1.1x the one-adult budget.

- Quebec income tax applied at 15.00%.
- Federal brackets with the basic personal amount.
- Provincial tax applied as a flat approximation of the local effective rate.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 80 |
| Healthcare | 82 |
| Air quality | 76 |
| Public transport | 78 |
| Walkability | 82 |
| English proficiency | 72 |
| Family friendliness | 84 |
| Nightlife | 84 |
| Median broadband | 200 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 7°C; summer highs 26°C; winter lows -14°C; 2050 sunshine hours and 1000 mm of rain a year. Climate type: continental.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: -6.7, -6.9, -0.2, 6.7, 14.2, 19.8, 22.7, 20.6, 17.5, 11.5, 2.6, -4.7.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 80, 62, 71, 115, 93, 116, 135, 149, 54, 103, 71, 98.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: no
- No dedicated nomad visa, but visitors may work remotely for a foreign employer for up to 6 months. Express Entry is the main permanent route.
- Coast: 40 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: America/Toronto
- Metro population: 4.3 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 41% derived, 59% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/montreal
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/montreal
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities