Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belem and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belem 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 Belem and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $937 in Belem versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Belem $937
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,424 in Belem versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Belem $1,424
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,911 in Belem versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Belem $1,911
Montreal $4,092

Living in Belem costs roughly 53% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belem is 30% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.94 R$24.66

$19.31 CA$27.52

-74.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.41 R$102

$75.5 CA$108

-72.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 R$33.96

$10.63 CA$15.15

-36.03%

Cappuccino

$1.90 R$9.48

$3.93 CA$5.60

-51.65%

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

$1.06 R$5.28

$1.92 CA$2.73

-44.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R$2.56

$1.48 CA$2.11

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 R$7.91

$6.30 CA$8.98

-74.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$11.80

$7.19 CA$10.24

-67.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 R$7.01

$2.22 CA$3.17

-36.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 R$12.40

$3.06 CA$4.36

-18.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 R$6.59

$2.94 CA$4.19

-55.10%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.71

$3.53 CA$5.03

-39.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.20 R$45.91

$13.19 CA$18.79

-30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.64

$11.24 CA$16.02

-59.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 R$37.70

$13.81 CA$19.69

-45.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$11.49

$3.40 CA$4.85

-32.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.15

$1.44 CA$2.06

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R$7.42

$3.26 CA$4.65

-54.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.73

$2.88 CA$4.10

-39.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.45

$1.86 CA$2.65

-41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 R$3.14

$1.82 CA$2.60

-65.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R$6.45

$2.43 CA$3.46

-46.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 R$7.13

$1.52 CA$2.17

-5.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 R$13.21

$11.45 CA$16.32

-76.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 R$49.60

$10.36 CA$14.76

-4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R$7.25

$2.22 CA$3.16

-34.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 R$25.31

$2.82 CA$4.02

79.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.82

$2.58 CA$3.67

-62.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.73 R$173

$76.9 CA$110

-54.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.86

$3.25 CA$4.64

-64.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 R$5.83

$1.48 CA$2.11

-20.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.36 R$41.71

$33.04 CA$47.09

-74.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R$6.57

$1.36 CA$1.94

-2.94%

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

$23.9K R$119.3K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-12.88%

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

$32.5K R$162.3K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

62.78%

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

$98.6 R$492

$76.1 CA$109

29.48%

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

$11.52 R$57.5

$34.68 CA$49.43

-66.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.16 R$156

$42.69 CA$60.9

-27.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.62 R$108

$28.94 CA$41.26

-25.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.31 R$196

$20.33 CA$28.97

93.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.82 R$39.04

$11.21 CA$15.98

-30.24%

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

$111 R$556

$505 CA$720

-77.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,464 R$17.3K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-78.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.02 R$160

$58.5 CA$83.4

-45.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 R$228

$38.00 CA$54.2

20.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 R$415

$92.7 CA$132

-10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.9 R$334

$106 CA$151

-36.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 R$2,642

$1,240 CA$1,768

-57.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 R$1,450

$986 CA$1,405

-70.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 R$4,436

$2,102 CA$2,996

-57.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$538 R$2,684

$1,615 CA$2,302

-66.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,003 R$9,997

$5,043 CA$7,188

-60.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,403 R$7,005

$3,830 CA$5,459

-63.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 R$2,105

$2,920 CA$4,163

-85.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.48

4.46

157.40%

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

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belem

$290 30.8%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 240% $696

Groceries & Markets

Belem

$225 23.8%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 53% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belem

$141 15%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 8.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Belem

$103 10.9%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 29.5% $30

Eating Out

Belem

$102 10.8%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 188% $191

Getting Around

Belem

$46 4.8%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 115% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Belem

$37 4%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 37.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $529 in Belem and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 593% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20.00 in Belem vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $344 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Belem

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

1 h behind Belem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,303,403

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 EUR

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Belem Montreal 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Belem
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

Belem vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 114% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 593% lower in Montreal. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $529 in Belem versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 121% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $111 in Belem versus $505 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $937 in Belem versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Belem 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 Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.