Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasilia: $994 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$994

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $994 in Brasilia versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Brasilia $994
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,593 in Brasilia versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Brasilia $1,593
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,193 in Brasilia versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Brasilia $2,193
Montreal $4,092

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 50% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brasilia is 26% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 R$45.81

$19.31 CA$27.52

-52.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.43 R$202

$75.5 CA$108

-46.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.44 R$42.12

$10.63 CA$15.15

-20.60%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R$13.62

$3.93 CA$5.60

-30.53%

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

$1.51 R$7.55

$1.92 CA$2.73

-21.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$4.96

$1.48 CA$2.11

-33.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R$11.83

$6.30 CA$8.98

-62.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 R$19.72

$7.19 CA$10.24

-45.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.52

$2.22 CA$3.17

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.27

$3.06 CA$4.36

-32.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.68

$2.94 CA$4.19

-54.42%

Eggs

$2.56 R$12.79

$3.53 CA$5.03

-27.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 R$57.9

$13.19 CA$18.79

-12.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.15 R$20.69

$11.24 CA$16.02

-63.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 R$46.27

$13.81 CA$19.69

-32.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.92

$3.40 CA$4.85

-29.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.73

$1.44 CA$2.06

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.51

$3.26 CA$4.65

-60.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.25

$2.88 CA$4.10

-42.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$5.96

$1.86 CA$2.65

-36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 R$5.19

$1.82 CA$2.60

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.12

$2.43 CA$3.46

-65.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R$4.77

$1.52 CA$2.17

-36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.11

$11.45 CA$16.32

-78.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.15 R$40.66

$10.36 CA$14.76

-21.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$6.43

$2.22 CA$3.16

-41.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R$12.50

$2.82 CA$4.02

-11.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 R$5.33

$2.58 CA$3.67

-58.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.76 R$179

$76.9 CA$110

-53.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R$5.50

$3.25 CA$4.64

-66.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.32

$1.48 CA$2.11

-41.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 R$32.73

$33.04 CA$47.09

-80.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.44

$1.36 CA$1.94

-5.15%

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

$23.9K R$119.5K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-12.72%

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

$33.6K R$167.6K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

68.06%

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

$97.6 R$487

$76.1 CA$109

28.23%

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

$12.78 R$63.8

$34.68 CA$49.43

-63.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.79 R$114

$42.69 CA$60.9

-46.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 R$172

$28.94 CA$41.26

19.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.17 R$141

$20.33 CA$28.97

38.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 R$38.93

$11.21 CA$15.98

-30.42%

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

$844 R$4,211

$505 CA$720

67.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K R$83.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

4.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R$283

$58.5 CA$83.4

-3.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.89 R$219

$38.00 CA$54.2

15.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 R$431

$92.7 CA$132

-6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 R$446

$106 CA$151

-15.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$498 R$2,484

$1,240 CA$1,768

-59.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,406

$986 CA$1,405

-71.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$5,772

$2,102 CA$2,996

-44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 R$2,863

$1,615 CA$2,302

-64.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,497 R$12.5K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-50.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,735 R$8,660

$3,830 CA$5,459

-54.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$848 R$4,233

$2,920 CA$4,163

-70.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

4.46

171.75%

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

Last update for Brasilia: 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

Brasilia

$282 27.9%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 250% $704

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$213 21.2%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 61% $130

Eating Out

Brasilia

$161 16%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 81.7% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$133 13.2%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 15.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$124 12.3%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 6.8% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$50 5%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 2.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Brasilia

$45 4.5%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 115% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $498 in Brasilia and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 244% 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: $40.00 in Brasilia vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $344 per month, with Brasilia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

1 h behind Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

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 = 5.59 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

Brasilia Montreal 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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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

Brasilia vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brasilia and Montreal differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($994 vs $2,003 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 244% 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: $498 in Brasilia versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasilia – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $994 per month in Brasilia versus $2,003 in Montreal – a 102% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $994 in Brasilia versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasilia but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Brasilia 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, Brasilia 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 Brasilia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.