Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Joao Pessoa and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $1,059 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
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Joao Pessoa Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,003 in Montreal.

Joao Pessoa $1,059
Montreal $2,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,635 in Joao Pessoa versus $3,048 in Montreal.

Joao Pessoa $1,635
Montreal $3,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,210 in Joao Pessoa versus $4,092 in Montreal.

Joao Pessoa $2,210
Montreal $4,092

Living in Joao Pessoa costs roughly 47% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Joao Pessoa is 21% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.18 R$35.82

$19.31 CA$27.52

-62.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.50 R$147

$75.5 CA$108

-60.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.99 R$39.91

$10.63 CA$15.15

-24.84%

Cappuccino

$1.60 R$7.98

$3.93 CA$5.60

-59.29%

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

$1.02 R$5.07

$1.92 CA$2.73

-46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.43

$1.48 CA$2.11

-53.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$9.41

$6.30 CA$8.98

-70.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 R$17.56

$7.19 CA$10.24

-51.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.13

$2.22 CA$3.17

-44.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 R$10.61

$3.06 CA$4.36

-30.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 R$7.69

$2.94 CA$4.19

-47.62%

Eggs

$2.13 R$10.62

$3.53 CA$5.03

-39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 R$43.08

$13.19 CA$18.79

-34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R$25.04

$11.24 CA$16.02

-55.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R$37.08

$13.81 CA$19.69

-46.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 R$16.29

$3.40 CA$4.85

-4.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.10

$1.44 CA$2.06

-29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 R$4.61

$3.26 CA$4.65

-71.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.87

$2.88 CA$4.10

-59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 R$8.17

$1.86 CA$2.65

-11.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.31

$1.82 CA$2.60

-30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$3.78

$2.43 CA$3.46

-68.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.27

$1.52 CA$2.17

-43.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R$14.92

$11.45 CA$16.32

-73.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 R$44.69

$10.36 CA$14.76

-13.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$7.78

$2.22 CA$3.16

-29.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 R$16.54

$2.82 CA$4.02

17.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 R$5.10

$2.58 CA$3.67

-60.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.5 R$352

$76.9 CA$110

-8.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 R$10.04

$3.25 CA$4.64

-38.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 R$9.86

$1.48 CA$2.11

33.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 R$16.24

$33.04 CA$47.09

-90.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.37

$1.36 CA$1.94

-5.88%

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

$23.7K R$118.5K

$27.4K CA$39.1K

-13.47%

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

$33.2K R$165.5K

$20.0K CA$28.5K

65.97%

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

$131 R$652

$76.1 CA$109

71.51%

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

$23.38 R$117

$34.68 CA$49.43

-32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.22 R$121

$42.69 CA$60.9

-43.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.84 R$194

$28.94 CA$41.26

34.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.64 R$148

$20.33 CA$28.97

45.79%

Cinema Ticket

$10.88 R$54.3

$11.21 CA$15.98

-2.94%

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

$441 R$2,204

$505 CA$720

-12.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,925 R$34.6K

$16.0K CA$22.8K

-56.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R$272

$58.5 CA$83.4

-6.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.7 R$343

$38.00 CA$54.2

80.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 R$447

$92.7 CA$132

-3.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.3 R$386

$106 CA$151

-26.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 R$2,014

$1,240 CA$1,768

-67.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 R$1,328

$986 CA$1,405

-73.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$662 R$3,303

$2,102 CA$2,996

-68.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 R$2,609

$1,615 CA$2,302

-67.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,432 R$12.1K

$5,043 CA$7,188

-51.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,189 R$5,935

$3,830 CA$5,459

-68.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 R$2,521

$2,920 CA$4,163

-82.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

146.64%

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

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3%

Montreal

$986 47.9% 271% $720

Groceries & Markets

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6%

Montreal

$344 16.7% 66.4% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9%

Montreal

$154 7.5% 13.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4%

Montreal

$133 6.5% 1.7% $2.2

Eating Out

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8%

Montreal

$293 14.2% 137% $169

Getting Around

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2%

Montreal

$98 4.8% 13.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8%

Montreal

$51 2.5% 15.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Joao Pessoa and $1,240 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 478% 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: $29.00 in Joao Pessoa vs $75.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $344 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h behind Joao Pessoa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

833,932

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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Joao Pessoa Montreal 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Joao Pessoa
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

Joao Pessoa vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Joao Pessoa and Montreal differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($1,059 vs $2,003 including rent). Joao Pessoa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 478% 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: $404 in Joao Pessoa versus $1,240 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $441 in Joao Pessoa versus $505 in Montreal. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa 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, Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.