✦ Compare
Frankfurt vs
Montreal
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Frankfurt, DE vs Montreal, CA at a glance — Montreal, CA is 13% cheaper than Frankfurt, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,150/mo versus $1,350/mo. Top income tax: 33% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Montreal, CA, you'd need
$65,348 / year
Montreal, CA is 13% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Montreal, CA vs Frankfurt, DE)
- Housing-24%
- Food & groceries0%
- Transport-9%
- Utilities-23%
- Healthcare-16%
- Goods & services-1%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,350 /mo
Frankfurt, DE overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,150 /mo
Montreal, CA overview →
◎ How Frankfurt, DE and Montreal, CA compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Frankfurt, DE | Montreal, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 114 | 99 |
| Housing | 135 | 102 |
| Food | 106 | 106 |
| Transport | 88 | 80 |
| Utilities | 128 | 98 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 80 |
| Goods & services | 106 | 105 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,350/mo | $1,150/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $950/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $5,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $881 | $1,011 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $100 | $70 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 33% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 5% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | — |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 26.5% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $3,300/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $76,285✓ | $67,901✓ |
| Minimum wage | $2,716/mo✓ | $1,900/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496✓ | $55,698✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2%✓ | 2.1%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | High | High |
| Coworking spaces | 45 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC-5 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 74 | 71 |
| Safety index | 68 | 72 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 78 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 35 |
| Internet speed | 150 Mbps | 180 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 78 |
| Public transport | 85 | 78 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 74 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr✓ | 82 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +3 °C | -9 °C |
| July avg | +20 °C | +21 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 110 | 160 |
| Rainfall / year | 650 mm | 1,000 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Canada. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Frankfurt vs Montreal — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Frankfurt
Germany's banking capital and its only real skyline — home to the ECB, the country's biggest airport and a compact, international core. Costs run high for Germany but sit below Munich, and the airport makes it the easiest base for anyone who flies a lot.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 20°C · 110 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Nordend · Bornheim · Sachsenhausen · Westend
Good to know before you move to Montreal
A bilingual, European-flavoured metropolis and the most affordable of Canada's big cities — rents well below Toronto or Vancouver, a huge festival and food culture, and cheap universities. The catch is the long, brutally cold winter and Quebec's French-first bureaucracy.
- Currency
- Canadian dollar ($ CAD)
- Languages
- English, French
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 180 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 72/100
- Climate
- ❄ -9°C · ☀ 21°C · 160 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Plateau-Mont-Royal · Mile End · Griffintown · Rosemont
Plan your move to Frankfurt
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Montreal
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Frankfurt to Montreal: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Frankfurt to Montreal, your cost of living will be roughly 13% cheaper. Montreal’s cost-of-living index is 99 versus 114 for Frankfurt (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Frankfurt cheaper than Montreal?
Montreal is about 13% cheaper than Frankfurt overall — its cost-of-living index is 99 versus 114 for Frankfurt.
Which is more expensive, Frankfurt or Montreal?
Frankfurt is more expensive than Montreal. Its cost-of-living index is 114 vs 99 (US = 100) — about 15% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Frankfurt or Montreal?
Rent is cheaper in Montreal — about $1,150/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,350 in Frankfurt.
How much do you need to earn in Montreal to live like in Frankfurt?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Frankfurt is worth about $65,348 in Montreal. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Frankfurt or Montreal?
Canada has the lower top income-tax rate — 33% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Frankfurt
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.