Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $937 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Belem
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Belem Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$937

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Belem

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 Belem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $937 in Belem.

Montreal $2,003
Belem $937

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,424 in Belem.

Montreal $3,048
Belem $1,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $1,911 in Belem.

Montreal $4,092
Belem $1,911

Living in Montreal is roughly 114% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Belem is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$4.94 R$24.66

290.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$20.41 R$102

269.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$6.80 R$33.96

56.32%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$1.90 R$9.48

106.84%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.06 R$5.28

81.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.51 R$2.56

190.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$1.59 R$7.91

296.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$2.36 R$11.80

204.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.40 R$7.01

58.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.48 R$12.40

23.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.32 R$6.59

122.73%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.14 R$10.71

64.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$9.20 R$45.91

43.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$4.53 R$22.64

148.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$7.55 R$37.70

82.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.30 R$11.49

47.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.43 R$7.15

0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.49 R$7.42

118.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.75 R$8.73

64.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.09 R$5.45

70.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$0.63 R$3.14

188.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$1.29 R$6.45

88.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$1.43 R$7.13

6.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$2.65 R$13.21

332.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$9.94 R$49.60

4.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.45 R$7.25

53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$5.07 R$25.31

-44.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.97 R$4.82

165.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$34.73 R$173

121.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.17 R$5.86

177.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.17 R$5.83

26.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$8.36 R$41.71

295.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.32 R$6.57

3.03%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$23.9K R$119.3K

14.78%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$32.5K R$162.3K

-38.57%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$98.6 R$492

-22.77%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$11.52 R$57.5

201.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$31.16 R$156

37.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$21.62 R$108

33.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$39.31 R$196

-48.28%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$7.82 R$39.04

43.35%

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

$505 CA$720

$111 R$556

353.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$3,464 R$17.3K

362.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$32.02 R$160

82.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$45.64 R$228

-16.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$83.2 R$415

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$66.9 R$334

58.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$529 R$2,642

134.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$290 R$1,450

239.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$889 R$4,436

136.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$538 R$2,684

200.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,003 R$9,997

151.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,403 R$7,005

172.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$422 R$2,105

592.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.48

-61.15%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Belem

$290 30.8% 70.5% $696

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Belem

$225 23.8% 34.6% $119

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Belem

$102 10.8% 65.3% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Belem

$141 15% 8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Belem

$103 10.9% 22.8% $30

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Belem

$46 4.8% 53.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Belem

$37 4% 27.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $529 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 593% 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: $75.0 in Montreal vs $20.00 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $225 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Belem 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
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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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 114% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 593% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,240 in Montreal versus $529 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 121% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $505 in Montreal versus $111 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $937 in Belem versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Belem but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Belem the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Belem is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Montreal, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Belem 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 Belem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.