TL;DRMontreal is 45% cheaper on rent ($1,309/mo vs $2,388/mo). Canada gets you to permanent residency 7 years faster (3 vs 10 years). Both cities require a personal relationship with your winter coat.

Montreal scores 78 to Chicago's 53 on livability — the gap is real. Chicago has its charms, but the numbers favor Montreal.

How the livability score breaks down

Chicago

Montreal

5.9/25

💰 Affordability

16.3/25

0/15

🔒 Violent Crime

12.7/15

3.5/10

🛡️ Perceived Safety

6.7/10

13.5/15

⚡ Internet

8.4/15

11.8/15

🗳️ Democracy

13/15

10/10

🗣️ English

10/10

9.2/10

☀️ Climate

10/10

7.1/10

📊 Stability

7.6/10

3.4/10

🚗 Road Safety

9/10

4.2/10

🕊️ Geopolitical Safety

8/10

Verdict delivered. Your move.

The winner's file

🇨🇦 Montreal

Full profile. Verify before you pack.

Due diligence

🇺🇸 Chicago

Every verdict deserves an appeal.

Plot twist

New York vs Chicago

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Chicago

Metric

Montreal

$819/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$616/mo✓

$8,623

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$4,288✓

34 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

83 / 100✓

17.5 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

2.3 / 100k✓

14.2 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

4.7 / 100k✓

35 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

67 / 100✓

81°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

77°F

25°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

14°F

✓180 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

112 Mbps

11.3 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

11 μg/m³

80 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

85 / 100✓

7.8 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

8.7 / 10✓

8.0 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

8.5 / 9✓

67 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

78 / 100✓

100/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

100/100

✓$86k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$65k

2.9% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

2.4% · Boringly steady✓

83/100 — Mostly stable

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

92/100 — Reliable✓

80/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

97/100✓

A median Software Engineer in Chicago takes home $11,064/mo under Standard employee. In Montreal: $4,922/mo under Standard employee.

$6,142/mo more in Chicago

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$191k

💰

Gross income

$98k

−$44k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$35k

−$14k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$3k

✓$133k/yr

$11k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$59k/yr

$5k/mo

−$57k

🏠

Cost of living

−$37k

✓$75k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$22k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Montreal

$1,079/mo cheaper on rent alone

🔒

Safety

Montreal

2.3 homicides per 100k

🗳️

Democracy

Montreal

8.7/10 EIU index

📋

Residency

Montreal

PR in 3 years

Sun

How much sky you actually get

53% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

47% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

9.1h

Shortest day

Dec

8.7h

15.2h

Longest day

Jun

15.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

stable →

Democracy trend

declining ↓

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

financetradinghealthcaremanufacturing

Industries

aigamingaerospacepharma

hub

Startup ecosystem

hub

Easy

🇺🇸 Your visa

Easy

Moderate

EU visa

Moderate

Suspended

RU visa

Complex

Moderate

UA visa

Moderate

⚠️ Partner work rights are very limited

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

Partner pathway

Recognized (1+ yr)

common-law partner / conjoint de fait

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request

Abortion access

On request

24 wk

Gestational limit

—

Protected by the Reproductive Health Act; regional access hub for the Midwest.

No legal gestational limit. Fully decriminalized since 1988.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal

Marriage

Legal

Joint adoption

Adoption

Joint adoption

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Yes

Chicago vs Montreal — Common Questions

Is Chicago cheaper than Montreal?▾

Montreal is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $1309/month there vs $2388/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Chicago or Montreal?▾

Montreal is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Chicago has a rate of 17.50 per 100,000 and Montreal has 2.27 per 100,000.

Should I move to Chicago or Montreal?▾

Montreal scores 78 to Chicago's 53 on livability — the gap is real. Chicago has its charms, but the numbers favor Montreal. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Chicago or Montreal?▾

Chicago: US Employment-Based Green Card (complex process, Permanent residence). Montreal: Canada Express Entry (complex process, Permanent residence). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Chicago vs Montreal?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $1309/month in Montreal, $2388/month in Chicago (Numbeo). That's 45% cheaper rent in Montreal.

Is Chicago or Montreal better for democracy and rule of law?▾

Montreal scores 8.7/10 on the EIU Democracy Index vs 7.8/10 for Chicago. That puts it in 'full democracy' territory — free press, independent courts, the works.

Is healthcare better in Chicago or Montreal?▾

Montreal scores higher on our composite healthcare index (85/100 vs 80/100 for Chicago). That score combines clinical outcomes (IHME), universal coverage (WHO), and resident perception (Numbeo) — not just whether hospitals exist but whether the system actually works for settlers.