Cost of living in Montreal: Complete guide for 2025
Set against a pristine natural backdrop, Montreal is a multicultural, cosmopolitan city featuring a high quality of life that is suitable for immigrants and university students from around the world. The combination of European charm & North American energy has made it a favourite among people from across the world.
But to fully understand the cost of living in Montreal is key to figuring out how much you will need in your budget and your lifestyle. In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through everything you need to know about different living expenses in Montreal such as housing, transportation, food, utilities, healthcare, and entertainment.
Whether you’re seeking to move to Montreal for work, studying, or just to immerse yourself in its electric culture, this guide will show you what you’d be spending those dollars on.
Understanding the Cost of Living in Montreal
Average Cost of Living
On average, a single person in Montreal lives on around CAD 2,000 per month. Indeed, this figure can span from barely covering monthly expenses to more than double. For instance, if you decide to reside in more central area or pick out greater apartment, you'll be spending even more on housing.
Cost of Living for Students
Montreal has affordable student residences and shared apartment options. Moreover, many universities and colleges offer meal plans to help control your food budget. A student in Montreal lives on an average living cost of CAD 1,500 per month.
International Student’s Cost of Living
Domestic students will spend a lot less than international students on living expenses. That's because, often enough, they need to pay tuition fees, and those generally cost more for international students. In addition, international students may be required to purchase health insurance and this too will increase their overall costs.
Cost of Living for Indian Students.
For Indian students, the cost of living in Montreal may vary based on their circumstances. But it's overall far lower than in the major Indian cities. Indian students have affordable housing options and also find food relatively cheap.
Housing Costs in Montreal
Rental Apartments
As a popular option, an apartment in Montreal can be rented by students or even working professionals. An apartment itself can be rented starting based on the neighbourhood, size and amenities, and the cost also varies. So, bearing in mind a one bedroom is usually around CAD 1,000 – CAD 1,500 per month averaged for a central location.
Student Residences
On campus, there are many universities and colleges in Montreal that offer on-campus student residences. These residences represent a convenient and low-cost housing option for students. Usually, student residences include the cost of meals, utilities and internet.
Homeownership
While homeownership can get expensive in Montreal, especially in central neighbourhoods, you can stay within your budget with a little work and planning. But for good living,, you can get an affordable home out in the suburbs or the outskirts. A home in Montreal tends to be around CAD 500,000.
Transportation Costs
Another big bill in Montreal is transportation. It has well-developed public transportation (buses, metro trains and commuter trains).
Public Transportation
- Getting around Montreal by Public Transportation is very cost-effective. Today, the public transportation system is only available by monthly pass at around CAD 85.
Car Ownership
- Living in Montreal without a car can be costly because of high insurance rates and high parking costs. But if you need a car for work and the like, it may be a small price to pay. Montreal's average car insurance is about $1,500 a year.
Other Transportation Options
- If you get too tired of using public transportation or car ownership, there is other transportation in Montreal, like taxis, ride-sharing services, and bicycles.
- Taxis: A Montreal taxi ride averages out to be about CAD 3 per kilometre.
- Ride-sharing services: Montreal also has ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. The price of a ride-sharing trip is affected by the distance, time of day, or demand.
- Bicycles: Bikes are super popular in Montreal and there are a tonne of bike paths. It costs around CAD 10 per hour to rent a bicycle.
Food Costs
Your eating habits and benefits define food costs. Montreal is full of grocery stores and restaurants so there are many options to choose from no matter how low or high you want your budget.
Grocery Stores
Fresh produce, meats, and even other food items are available in grocery stores in Montreal. Groceries can be expensive, especially if you’re shopping at a high-end store. So, on average you should spend between CAD 200 and CAD 300 per month on groceries.
Restaurants
A wide variety of restaurants across the city claim to have cuisine from all over the world. Eating out can cost differently the type of restaurants you go to and items you order. At a casual restaurant, you should expect on average a meal to cost around $20 to $30.
Food Delivery Services
In Montreal, there are plenty of food delivery services catering to the interests of the customer.
You can order food at one of the many restaurants and have them delivered to your door. Foregoing food delivery services can be convenient and cheap.
Utility Costs
Your lifestyle and the size of your accommodation will determine the size of utility costs like electricity, heating and internet.
Electricity
The electrical cost in Montreal is somewhat inexpensive. A one-bedroom apartment averages around CAD 50 per month for electricity.
Heating
The cost of heating can differ depending on the time of year and the type of heating equipment you have. In the winter, you can expect to spend CAD 100 to 150 per month on your heating on average.
Internet and Phone
We have many internet and phone providers in Montreal that come with several different packages and plans. Internet and phone services can be expensive so sometimes it means paying more.
Healthcare Costs
The healthcare system in Canada is systematically universal and includes medical services for all its residents. Of course, there are some costs of healthcare, including prescription drugs and other coverage for dental and vision care.
Universal Healthcare
Almost all medically necessary services, such as doctor and hospital visits, and surgeries, are covered under Canada's universal healthcare system. But you can end up having to pay a deductible or co-payment for some services.
Prescription Drugs
Prescription drug costs vary by drug and how much your insurance covers. Your provincial health insurance plan may cover some prescription drugs and others might not be covered. Prescription drugs in Montreal have an average monthly cost between CAD 20 to CAD 100.
Dental and Vision Care
Canada’s universal healthcare system does not cover dental and vision care 100 per cent. These costs may need to be covered by you purchasing private insurance. Dental insurance in Montreal averages out to CAD 500 per year. The price of vision insurance could go anywhere from CAD 100 to CAD 300 per year.
Entertainment Costs
Museums and Galleries
There are some great French world-class museums and galleries in Montreal such as Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Montreal Science Centre. Museum and gallery admission fees normally range from CAD 10 to 20.
Parks and Recreation
Mount Royal Park and Lafontaine Park are two beautiful parks and recreational facilities in Montreal. There are different kinds of activities starting from Hiking, Biking and Picnicking, which you can do in these parks.
Sports and Events
Otherwise, a sports-loving city, Montreal has teams in major professional leagues including the NHL and MLB. For sports events, ticket prices vary depending on what team and who the opponent is. A ticket for a game of hockey or baseball in Montreal will cost you on average anything from CAD 50 to CAD 100.
Tips for Reducing Living Costs in Montreal
There are many ways to reduce your living costs in Montreal. Here are a few tips:
- Cook at home: Eating at home is a cheap way of doing food.
- Use public transportation: Public transportation helps you save much of the money you spend on transportation costs.
- Look for affordable housing: Montreal has a lot of low-cost housing such as student residences and shared apartments.
- Take advantage of student discounts: It is very important to ask about student discounts from many businesses.
- Shop around for deals: Cheque out what it’s like to live in the area, then compare prices and find yourself a good deal on groceries, utilities, and more.
Conclusion
Understanding what the cost of living in Montreal looks like is important as you plan your budget and live your life. As you will see in this guide, Montreal real estate, housing, transportation, food, utilities, healthcare and entertainment cost options have all been covered. When you have a better understanding of these costs, you’ll be able to budget your finances and squeeze the most you can out of your time in Montreal.
Montreal’s cost of living may be higher than other cities, but with its apartment prices being lower than other major Canadian cities it is still affordable. Also, Montreal has a good, lively and multicultural environment, and this is attracting many people.
If you are moving to Montreal or studying in the city, it’s wise to learn the basics before going all-in. Knowing the cost of living in Montreal can help you make the most intelligent decisions and have a great time here.
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