Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbacena and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barbacena and in Montreal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barbacena and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $857 in Barbacena versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Barbacena $857
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,305 in Barbacena versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Barbacena $1,305
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,753 in Barbacena versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Barbacena $1,753
Montreal $4,152

Living in Barbacena costs roughly 58% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barbacena is 37% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 R$26.91

$18.82 CA$26.74

-71.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.84 R$105

$70.3 CA$99.9

-70.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.93 R$29.81

$10.66 CA$15.14

-44.37%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$8.75

$3.84 CA$5.46

-54.69%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 R$7.90

$1.92 CA$2.72

-18.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.31

$1.54 CA$2.19

-44.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 R$6.63

$6.23 CA$8.86

-78.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 R$11.40

$7.10 CA$10.08

-68.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$5.71

$2.31 CA$3.29

-50.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.38

$3.14 CA$4.46

-34.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.14

$3.21 CA$4.56

-61.99%

Eggs

$2.38 R$11.98

$3.52 CA$5.00

-32.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 R$54.4

$12.81 CA$18.20

-15.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R$22.30

$11.46 CA$16.28

-61.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 R$50.1

$13.39 CA$19.02

-25.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 R$14.57

$3.14 CA$4.45

-7.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.21

$1.44 CA$2.04

27.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.91

$3.47 CA$4.93

-54.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R$9.02

$3.07 CA$4.36

-41.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.09

$1.90 CA$2.70

-36.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.21

$1.77 CA$2.52

-41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.56

$2.34 CA$3.33

-69.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 R$3.51

$1.55 CA$2.20

-54.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 R$15.20

$11.38 CA$16.16

-73.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 R$39.38

$10.63 CA$15.10

-26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.94

$2.27 CA$3.23

-48.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 R$12.17

$2.82 CA$4.01

-14.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.88

$2.66 CA$3.78

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.05 R$227

$77.3 CA$110

-41.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.36

$3.20 CA$4.55

-60.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.27

$1.48 CA$2.10

-42.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.35 R$47.01

$32.88 CA$46.71

-71.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.57

$1.34 CA$1.91

-2.24%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.5K R$118.2K

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-16.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$32.7K R$164.4K

$19.6K CA$27.9K

66.60%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$136 R$686

$76.0 CA$108

79.65%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.02 R$55.4

$33.95 CA$48.24

-67.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.95 R$115

$42.31 CA$60.1

-45.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.50 R$133

$29.76 CA$42.27

-10.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.48 R$148

$20.28 CA$28.81

45.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.94 R$39.94

$11.15 CA$15.84

-28.79%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$596 R$2,998

$507 CA$720

17.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K R$67.5K

$16.1K CA$22.8K

-16.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.74 R$210

$57.6 CA$81.8

-27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.77 R$245

$37.58 CA$53.4

29.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 R$380

$91.9 CA$131

-17.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 R$338

$110 CA$156

-38.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,174

$1,260 CA$1,791

-81.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 R$843

$948 CA$1,346

-82.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R$2,182

$2,137 CA$3,036

-79.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 R$1,543

$1,614 CA$2,292

-80.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,629 R$8,192

$4,960 CA$7,046

-67.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 R$6,706

$3,838 CA$5,452

-65.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,017

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

4.48

166.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Barbacena

$215 25.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 61.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbacena

$170 19.9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 10.7% $18

Accommodation & Living

Barbacena

$168 19.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 465% $780

Clothing & Footwear

Barbacena

$105 12.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 27.1% $28

Eating Out

Barbacena

$102 11.9%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 181% $186

Getting Around

Barbacena

$54 6.4%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 81% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Barbacena

$42 5%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 22.8% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $234 in Barbacena and $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Barbacena vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $346 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

09:52 9:52 AM

1 h behind Barbacena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,317

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 CAD = 0.704 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 5.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbacena Montreal 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbacena
Montreal

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barbacena vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbacena and Montreal differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($857 vs $2,018 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,286 in Barbacena and $3,027 in Montreal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $234 in Barbacena versus $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $857 per month in Barbacena versus $2,018 in Montreal – a 135% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 72% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barbacena and Montreal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.