Cost of living comparison

Canada

compared to

South Korea

Seoul vs. Montreal Cost of Living Summary

Seoul is 8.2% more expensive than Montreal.

Restaurants: pay 40.5% less in Seoul
Groceries: pay 28.9% more in Seoul
Transportation: pay 17.1% less in Seoul
Housing: pay 1.7% less in Seoul
Childcare: pay 2.2 times more in Seoul
Entertainment and Sports: pay 18.1% less in Seoul
Clothing: pay 16.9% less in Seoul

The cost of childcare and groceries in Seoul are more expensive than in Montreal. Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, clothing, and housing are lower in Seoul. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Seoul.

Planning a move to South Korea? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Seoul vs. Montreal Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Seoul instead of Montreal, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 40.5% less for restaurants

	Montreal	Seoul
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$17.93 CA$25.54	$8.49 ₩11,407	-52.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$11.48 CA$16.35	$6.30 ₩8,460	-45.1%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.97 CA$2.81	$1.64 ₩2,202	-16.8%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.49 CA$2.12	$0.78 ₩1,049	-47.6%
Average			-40.5%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 28.9% more for groceries

	Montreal	Seoul
Bread 1 loaf	$2.92 CA$4.16	$3.24 ₩4,350	+10.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$7.37 CA$10.50	$6.79 ₩9,126	-7.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.70 CA$12.39	$7.85 ₩10,543	-9.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$3.24 CA$4.61	$2.93 ₩3,939	-9.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.11 CA$7.29	$4.67 ₩6,271	-8.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.73 CA$2.47	$3.45 ₩4,629	+98.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.75 CA$1.07	$1.52 ₩2,048	+103.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.68 CA$2.39	$2.35 ₩3,159	+40.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.76 CA$2.51	$2.77 ₩3,725	+57.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.32 CA$1.88	$1.62 ₩2,175	+22.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.08 CA$1.54	$1.30 ₩1,743	+20.1%
Average			+28.9%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 17.1% less for transportation

	Montreal	Seoul
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.27 CA$6.09	$4.43 ₩5,952	+3.6%
Monthly public transit pass	$74.95 CA$106.78	$45.99 ₩61,790	-38.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$24,369.83 CA$34,718.48	$25,072.36 ₩34M	+2.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$16.55 CA$23.57	$10.50 ₩14,107	-36.5%
Average			-17.1%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 1.7% less for housing

	Montreal	Seoul
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$41.37 CA$58.94	$20.56 ₩27,618	-50.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,201.35 CA$1,711.50	$925.55 ₩1M	-23.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$961.99 CA$1,370.49	$559.33 ₩751K	-41.9%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$57.08 CA$81.32	$118.88 ₩160K	+108.3%
Average			-1.7%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.2 times more for childcare

	Montreal	Seoul
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$518.92 CA$739.28	$360.15 ₩484K	-30.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$5,750.83 CA$8,192.92	$21,667.04 ₩29M	+276.8%
Average			+123.1%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 18.1% less for entertainment and sports

	Montreal	Seoul
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.74 CA$8.17	$3.54 ₩4,753	-38.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$3.76 CA$5.36	$3.70 ₩4,968	-1.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.19 CA$17.37	$3.18 ₩4,278	-73.9%
Monthly membership at local gym	$44.06 CA$62.77	$56.34 ₩75,688	+27.9%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$11.12 CA$15.84	$10.61 ₩14,259	-4.5%
Average			-18.1%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 16.9% less for clothing

	Montreal	Seoul
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$58.20 CA$82.91	$49.77 ₩66,860	-14.5%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.37 CA$61.79	$39.49 ₩53,056	-8.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$102.59 CA$146.16	$74.94 ₩101K	-27.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$119.45 CA$170.17	$99.06 ₩133K	-17.1%
Average			-16.9%

Montreal vs. Seoul - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: October 2026

Compare further: Montreal vs. Seoul

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Seoul?

Size Comparison · See true size

Montreal is about 1.4 times smaller than Seoul.

More cost comparisons

Montreal vs.

United States

Montreal vs.

Lima

Montreal vs.

Madrid

Montreal vs.

Washington

Montreal vs.

Canberra

Montreal vs.

Ottawa

Montreal vs.

London

Montreal vs.

Hanoi

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Canada vs. South Korea. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Canada and South Korea.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Montreal

Add prices for Seoul

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Seoul or Montreal. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.