Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Barbacena

For one person, living is cheaper in Barbacena: $857 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Barbacena
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Barbacena Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Barbacena

🇧🇷 Brazil

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Barbacena

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Montreal and in Barbacena actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $857 in Barbacena.

Montreal $2,018
Barbacena $857

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,305 in Barbacena.

Montreal $3,085
Barbacena $1,305

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $1,753 in Barbacena.

Montreal $4,152
Barbacena $1,753

Living in Montreal is roughly 135% more expensive than in Barbacena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Barbacena is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.76

$5.35 R$26.86

251.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$20.84 R$105

237.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.15

$5.93 R$29.74

79.76%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$1.74 R$8.73

120.69%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.57 R$7.89

22.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$0.86 R$4.30

79.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$1.32 R$6.62

371.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.09

$2.27 R$11.37

212.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.14 R$5.69

102.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$2.06 R$10.36

52.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.22 R$6.12

163.11%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$2.38 R$11.96

47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.22

$10.81 R$54.3

18.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$4.44 R$22.25

158.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$9.97 R$50.0

34.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$2.90 R$14.54

8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.83 R$9.19

-21.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$1.57 R$7.89

121.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.79 R$9.00

71.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.21 R$6.08

57.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.04 R$5.20

70.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$0.71 R$3.55

229.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$0.70 R$3.50

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$3.02 R$15.17

276.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.12

$7.83 R$39.29

35.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.18 R$5.93

92.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.42 R$12.14

16.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$0.97 R$4.87

174.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

$45.05 R$226

71.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$1.26 R$6.34

153.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.85 R$4.26

74.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.75

$9.35 R$46.91

251.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.31 R$6.56

2.29%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$23.5K R$118.0K

19.75%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$32.7K R$164.1K

-39.98%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$136 R$685

-44.34%

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

$33.95 CA$48.28

$11.02 R$55.3

208.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.2

$22.95 R$115

84.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.31

$26.50 R$133

12.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.84

$29.48 R$148

-31.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.86

$7.94 R$39.85

40.43%

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

$507 CA$721

$596 R$2,992

-14.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$13.4K R$67.3K

19.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$41.74 R$209

37.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$48.77 R$245

-22.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$75.6 R$379

21.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$67.2 R$337

63.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$234 R$1,172

439.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$168 R$841

465.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,038

$434 R$2,178

392.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,294

$307 R$1,539

425.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,052

$1,629 R$8,175

204.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,456

$1,334 R$6,692

187.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,020

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.93

-62.45%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barbacena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Barbacena

$168 19.6% 82.3% $780

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Barbacena

$215 25.1% 37.9% $131

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Barbacena

$102 11.9% 64.5% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Barbacena

$170 19.9% 12% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Barbacena

$105 12.3% 21.3% $28

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Barbacena

$54 6.4% 44.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Barbacena

$42 5% 18.6% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $234 in Barbacena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $21.00 in Barbacena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $215 per month, with Barbacena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Barbacena

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

11:22 11:22 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

125,317

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Barbacena 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Montreal vs Barbacena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Barbacena differ by about 135% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $857 including rent). Barbacena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,027 in Montreal and $1,286 in Barbacena to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $234 in Barbacena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $857 in Barbacena – a 135% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barbacena runs roughly 72% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $857 in Barbacena versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Barbacena but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Barbacena 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, Montreal and Barbacena 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 Barbacena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 135% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.