Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotia and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotia: $933 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cotia
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Cotia Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Cotia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$933

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $933 per month in Cotia vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Cotia $933
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,523 per month in Cotia vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Cotia $1,523
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,113 per month in Cotia vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Cotia $2,113
Montreal $4,152

Cotia is about 54% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cotia sits 31% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 R$35.98

$18.82 CA$26.76

-61.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 R$199

$70.3 CA$99.9

-43.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 R$44.44

$10.66 CA$15.15

-16.89%

Cappuccino

$2.51 R$12.57

$3.84 CA$5.46

-34.64%

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

$1.42 R$7.14

$1.92 CA$2.72

-26.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 R$5.78

$1.54 CA$2.19

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 R$14.23

$6.23 CA$8.86

-54.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 R$22.20

$7.10 CA$10.09

-37.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.99

$2.31 CA$3.29

-48.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 R$9.20

$3.14 CA$4.47

-41.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.90

$3.21 CA$4.57

-63.24%

Eggs

$2.87 R$14.38

$3.52 CA$5.00

-18.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.07 R$60.6

$12.81 CA$18.22

-5.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R$22.70

$11.46 CA$16.30

-60.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.13 R$55.9

$13.39 CA$19.03

-16.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 R$13.85

$3.14 CA$4.46

-12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.27

$1.44 CA$2.04

28.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R$8.08

$3.47 CA$4.94

-53.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 R$9.55

$3.07 CA$4.37

-38.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.82

$1.90 CA$2.70

-28.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.24

$1.77 CA$2.52

-29.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 R$4.80

$2.34 CA$3.33

-58.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 R$4.01

$1.55 CA$2.21

-48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 R$14.16

$11.38 CA$16.18

-75.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 R$44.29

$10.63 CA$15.12

-16.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 R$8.36

$2.27 CA$3.23

-26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.49

$2.82 CA$4.01

-11.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.04

$2.66 CA$3.79

-62.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.26 R$242

$77.3 CA$110

-37.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.41

$3.20 CA$4.55

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 R$4.94

$1.48 CA$2.10

-33.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.67 R$48.54

$32.88 CA$46.75

-70.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.52

$1.34 CA$1.91

-2.99%

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

$23.7K R$119.0K

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-15.77%

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

$34.4K R$172.4K

$19.6K CA$27.9K

75.05%

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

$43.73 R$219

$76.0 CA$108

-42.43%

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

$14.60 R$73.3

$33.95 CA$48.28

-57.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.30 R$91.8

$42.31 CA$60.2

-56.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.03 R$136

$29.76 CA$42.31

-9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.53 R$153

$20.28 CA$28.84

50.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 R$39.46

$11.15 CA$15.86

-29.51%

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

$438 R$2,197

$507 CA$721

-13.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,677 R$38.5K

$16.1K CA$22.8K

-52.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R$278

$57.6 CA$81.8

-3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 R$300

$37.58 CA$53.4

59.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 R$477

$91.9 CA$131

3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.2 R$427

$110 CA$156

-22.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 R$1,761

$1,260 CA$1,792

-72.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 R$1,225

$948 CA$1,347

-74.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$661 R$3,319

$2,137 CA$3,038

-69.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 R$2,353

$1,614 CA$2,294

-70.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,462 R$7,333

$4,960 CA$7,052

-70.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,315 R$6,600

$3,838 CA$5,456

-65.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,020

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

4.48

148.21%

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

Last update for Cotia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cotia

$244 26.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 288% $703

Groceries & Markets

Cotia

$230 24.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 50.3% $116

Eating Out

Cotia

$147 15.8%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 95.4% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Cotia

$133 14.3%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 0.4% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotia

$77 8.2%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 98.6% $76

Getting Around

Cotia

$58 6.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 68.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cotia

$43 4.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 21.7% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Cotia 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Cotia versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $346 – making Cotia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cotia

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

12:13 12:13 PM

1 h behind Cotia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

274,413

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 = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cotia Montreal 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotia
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

Cotia vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 116% more than Cotia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,399 per month in Cotia 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 Cotia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Cotia and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $933 in Cotia and $2,018 in Montreal. That's a gap of about 116%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cotia, where all-in costs run around $933, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Cotia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cotia costs $933 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Cotia. 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.