Summer in Montreal is nearly upon us. And while the season brings a ton of activities, festivals, and terrasse openings to the city, it also coincides with apartment lease expirations.
With so many people ditching Montreal for good and plenty of others making it their new home, there’s no better time to take a hard look at what living here actually costs. Whether you’re signing a new lease, rethinking your budget, or just trying to figure out if solo living is even realistic right now, it helps to have real numbers in front of you.
So, using platforms like Numbeo and Zumper, we pulled together the latest figures and mapped out what a normal, liveable month looks like for a single person in Montreal.
To be clear, we’re not talking about luxury — just a reasonable apartment, groceries, getting around, and enough left over to actually enjoy the city.
Here’s the breakdown.
Rent — $1,850
The biggest line item by far. According to Zumper’s latest report, the average rent for a furnished one-bedroom apartment in Montreal right now sits at $1,850. That gets you a decent spot on the island.
For context, that’s up 9% from this time last year. Montreal is still cheaper than Toronto or Vancouver, but the gap keeps narrowing.
Groceries — $450
Cooking at home is bound to save you money (as long as you actually eat what you make).
Your grocery bill depends a lot on how you shop, but given how grocery prices have risen across Canada this year, $450 a month is a realistic estimate for someone cooking most of their meals at home. That works out to roughly $112 per week, which is enough to keep the fridge stocked without living on pasta every night.
Utilities — $115
Electricity, heating, and water are often things you don’t think about until the bill shows up. For a one-bedroom in Montreal, expect to pay around $115 per month on average. Older buildings with electric baseboards can push that higher in winter.
Internet — $58
A standard home internet plan in Montreal runs about $58 per month. Having it is pretty much non-negotiable at this point, whether you’re working from home or just streaming.
Phone plan — $50
Canadian phone plans are still frustratingly expensive. A basic plan with data will cost you around $50 per month in Montreal. You can find cheaper options if you shop around, but this is the general ballpark.
Transportation — $104.50
An STM monthly pass remains $104.50, giving you unlimited metro and bus access across the island. If you drive, gas, insurance, and parking make this conversation a lot more painful.
Eating out — $200
Montreal’s restaurant scene is one of the best reasons to live here, and you’re not going to cook every meal. At an average of around $25 per sit-down meal, factoring in a lunch or dinner out once or twice a week plus the odd brunch, $200 a month is a realistic budget for modest indulgence.
Going out — $120
Montreal is a great nightlife city, and you’re going to want to enjoy it at least a little bit.
The average price for a pint of beer at a Montreal bar sits at around $8.50. So, if you hit the town a couple of nights per month, with drinks, tips, maybe a cover, it adds up to around $120.
That’s assuming you’re not doing bottle service every weekend, which, fair enough.
Gym — $54
A standard gym membership in Montreal runs about $54 per month.
Coffee on the go — $50
If you’re grabbing a coffee a few times a week, you’re probably spending around $50 a month without even noticing. Good coffee is everywhere in this city, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Miscellaneous — $120
Haircuts, movies, Ubers, toiletries, the occasional thing that breaks. A $100 monthly buffer covers most of the random stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else.
Total: $3,171.50 per month
So there it is. Living solo in Montreal in 2026 will run you about $3,200 a month if you want to live comfortably without constantly stressing about money.
For context, Quebec’s minimum wage is about to rise to $16.60 per hour. Meanwhile, the average after-tax monthly salary in the city sits at around $4,116, which leaves you with roughly $900 at the end of the month. That’s not a ton of breathing room, but Montreal still holds up as one of the more affordable major cities in Canada — even if it gets harder to say that with a straight face every year.
The trick, as always, is leaving enough room in the budget for the stuff that makes living here worth it in the first place.
