Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo Frio and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $678 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$678

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $678 per month in Cabo Frio vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Cabo Frio $678
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,113 per month in Cabo Frio vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,113
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,548 per month in Cabo Frio vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,548
Montreal $4,152

Cabo Frio is about 66% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cabo Frio sits 50% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 R$29.77

$18.82 CA$26.61

-68.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.90 R$152

$70.3 CA$99.4

-57.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.86 R$34.79

$10.66 CA$15.06

-35.65%

Cappuccino

$1.74 R$8.81

$3.84 CA$5.43

-54.69%

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

$1.38 R$6.98

$1.92 CA$2.71

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R$2.60

$1.54 CA$2.18

-66.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R$6.19

$6.23 CA$8.81

-80.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R$9.87

$7.10 CA$10.03

-72.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 R$3.90

$2.31 CA$3.27

-66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 R$7.61

$3.14 CA$4.44

-52.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 R$3.87

$3.21 CA$4.54

-76.32%

Eggs

$1.62 R$8.20

$3.52 CA$4.97

-53.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.21 R$41.59

$12.81 CA$18.11

-35.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 R$17.30

$11.46 CA$16.20

-70.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 R$48.74

$13.39 CA$18.92

-28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 R$9.71

$3.14 CA$4.43

-38.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.05

$1.44 CA$2.03

-17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 R$4.89

$3.47 CA$4.91

-72.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.19

$3.07 CA$4.34

-60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 R$3.38

$1.90 CA$2.69

-64.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 R$4.32

$1.77 CA$2.50

-51.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 R$2.87

$2.34 CA$3.31

-75.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.95

$1.55 CA$2.19

-62.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.63 R$8.24

$11.38 CA$16.09

-85.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 R$30.58

$10.63 CA$15.03

-43.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.27 CA$3.21

-56.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.95

$2.82 CA$3.99

-51.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R$6.97

$2.66 CA$3.76

-48.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.1 R$416

$77.3 CA$109

6.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.51

$3.20 CA$4.53

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R$4.07

$1.48 CA$2.09

-45.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.23 R$41.74

$32.88 CA$46.48

-74.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.22

$1.34 CA$1.90

-8.21%

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

$21.1K R$106.7K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-25.21%

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

$31.0K R$157.2K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

57.93%

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

$58.6 R$297

$76.0 CA$107

-22.80%

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

$7.84 R$39.76

$33.95 CA$48.00

-76.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.82 R$70.0

$42.31 CA$59.8

-67.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.66 R$110

$29.76 CA$42.07

-27.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 R$24.95

$11.15 CA$15.77

-55.87%

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

$148 R$748

$507 CA$717

-70.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,691 R$13.6K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-83.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.04 R$233

$57.6 CA$81.4

-20.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.39 R$205

$37.58 CA$53.1

7.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.0 R$279

$91.9 CA$130

-40.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 R$247

$110 CA$155

-55.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$444 R$2,251

$1,260 CA$1,782

-64.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 R$604

$948 CA$1,340

-87.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$677 R$3,429

$2,137 CA$3,021

-68.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 R$1,420

$1,614 CA$2,281

-82.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$278 R$1,411

$2,827 CA$3,997

-90.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

4.48

138.17%

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

Last update for Cabo Frio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cabo Frio

$162 23.9%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 114% $184

Accommodation & Living

Cabo Frio

$119 17.6%

Montreal

$948 47% 696% $828

Eating Out

Cabo Frio

$106 15.6%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 172% $182

Getting Around

Cabo Frio

$93 13.7%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 6% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo Frio

$86 12.6%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 56% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo Frio

$80 11.9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 89.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo Frio

$32 4.7%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 65.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $444 in Cabo Frio versus $1,260 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 916% higher in Montreal, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Cabo Frio versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $162 vs $346 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

1 h behind Cabo Frio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,161

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 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

Cabo Frio Montreal 8,250 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo Frio
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

Cabo Frio vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Montreal is pricier by about 198%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,016 per month in Cabo Frio and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $678 in Cabo Frio and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 198%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Cabo Frio. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $678, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cabo Frio. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Montreal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.