Toronto vs Montreal — Cost of Living
Rent, overall costs and the equivalent salary you'd need to keep your lifestyle.
| Toronto | Montreal | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall cost index | 80 | 66 |
| Rent index | 78 | 58 |
| 1-bed city-centre rent | $2,500 | $1,700 |
A $65,000/year lifestyle in Toronto needs about
$53,625 / year
in Montreal (cost-of-living parity, before tax)
Toronto
Set against Montreal, Toronto carries an overall index of 80 and a rent index of 78: canada's largest job market with high rents, though below Vancouver.
Montreal
Montreal scores 66 overall and 58 on rent against Toronto’s 78: big-city culture at notably lower rents — but Quebec's taxes are higher.
Cost of living is only half of what decides a move between Toronto and Montreal; tax is the other half, and because both cities sit in Canada the tax treatment is identical here — the Canada calculator applies to both, so the whole difference is housing and local prices.
What the gap actually costs
Toronto is the more expensive of the two, about 18% ahead of Montreal on the combined index (80 against 66), while the gap on rent alone is 26%. Housing does almost all the work between Toronto and Montreal: groceries and transport move by tens of percent between cities, rents by multiples.
A one-bedroom city-centre flat runs about $2,500 in Toronto against $1,700 in Montreal — $800 a month between them, or $9,600 a year that never reaches your savings.
What is left after rent in Toronto and Montreal
On the $65,000 national median behind Toronto, in this comparison with Montreal, take-home is about $4,030 a month and a one-bedroom city-centre flat averages $2,500, leaving $1,530 for everything else. At 62% that is above what budgeting guidance calls sustainable, so on this Toronto side of the comparison with Montreal a flatshare or a longer commute is a requirement at the median rather than a preference. On rent index that is the heavier of the two here: Montreal sits at 58 against 78 for Toronto.
The pressure is not evenly spread across Toronto, and that is what a headline index against Montreal hides: at $48,750 the same $2,500 rent takes 81% of take-home and leaves $604, while at $130,000 it takes 32% and leaves $5,326.
On the $65,000 national median behind Montreal, in this comparison with Toronto, take-home is about $4,030 a month and a one-bedroom city-centre flat averages $1,700, leaving $2,330 for everything else. At 42% that sits inside the usual 30–40% guidance but not comfortably: Montreal, set against Toronto, leaves room to save on $65,000 only with deliberate budgeting. On rent index that is the lighter of the two here: Toronto sits at 78 against 58 for Montreal.
The pressure is not evenly spread across Montreal, and that is what a headline index against Toronto hides: at $48,750 the same $1,700 rent takes 55% of take-home and leaves $1,404, while at $130,000 it takes 22% and leaves $6,126.
| Salary level | Toronto after rent | Montreal after rent | Rent share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below median | $604 | $1,404 | 81% / 55% |
| National median | $1,530 | $2,330 | 62% / 42% |
| Well paid | $3,419 | $4,219 | 42% / 29% |
| Senior / specialist | $5,326 | $6,126 | 32% / 22% |
What common roles pay, and what survives the rent
National medians for five widely-held roles, taxed locally and set against the $2,500 rent in Toronto and $1,700 in Montreal. Pay in Toronto and Montreal differs from the national figure — capital and financial-centre salaries run above it — so read these as a baseline to adjust from.
| Role | Median gross | Take-home / month | After Toronto rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $95,000 | $5,767 | $3,267 |
| Accountant | $65,000 | $4,030 | $1,530 |
| Registered Nurse | $80,000 | $4,871 | $2,371 |
| Teacher | $55,000 | $3,474 | $974 |
| Marketing Manager | $75,000 | $4,584 | $2,084 |
| Role | Median gross | Take-home / month | After Montreal rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $95,000 | $5,767 | $4,067 |
| Accountant | $65,000 | $4,030 | $2,330 |
| Registered Nurse | $80,000 | $4,871 | $3,171 |
| Teacher | $55,000 | $3,474 | $1,774 |
| Marketing Manager | $75,000 | $4,584 | $2,884 |
Frequently Asked Questions
+Is Montreal cheaper than Toronto?
Montreal has an overall cost-of-living index of 66 versus Toronto's 80, so it is cheaper by roughly 18%, driven largely by rent.
+What salary do I need in Montreal to match Toronto?
To maintain a $65,000 lifestyle from Toronto, you'd need roughly $53,625 in Montreal, based on cost-of-living parity (before tax differences).
+How much rent should I expect in Toronto?
A one-bedroom city-centre flat in Toronto averages about $2,500 a month. On the national median salary that is 62% of take-home, leaving roughly $1,530 a month for everything else.
+How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Montreal compared with Toronto?
On Montreal's national median of $65,000, take-home is about $4,030 a month and rent takes 42% of it, against 62% in Toronto. Comfort usually starts where rent drops below a third of take-home, which in Montreal needs about $84,000 gross against the $65,000 median behind Toronto. Tax status and personal circumstances shift the figure either way.
+Would a higher Montreal salary cancel out its costs versus Toronto?
Not reliably. Rent is a fixed monthly cost while tax is progressive, so moving from Toronto to Montreal on a proportionally higher salary can still leave you with less: on each city's national median the after-rent figures are $1,530 and $2,330. Compare those columns rather than the gross salaries.
Estimate only — not tax advice. Figures are estimates based on publicly available tax rules and may not reflect your full circumstances. See our methodology & sources (last reviewed June 2026). Always confirm with an official tax authority or a licensed adviser before making decisions.