Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cabo Frio

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.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cabo Frio

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

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

Montreal $2,018
Cabo Frio $678

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

Montreal $3,085
Cabo Frio $1,113

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

Montreal $4,152
Cabo Frio $1,548

Montreal costs about 198% more than Cabo Frio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$5.87 R$29.77

220.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$29.90 R$152

135.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$6.86 R$34.79

55.39%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.74 R$8.81

120.69%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.38 R$6.98

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.51 R$2.60

201.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.22 R$6.19

410.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$1.95 R$9.87

264.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$0.77 R$3.90

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.50 R$7.61

109.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$0.76 R$3.87

322.37%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$1.62 R$8.20

117.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$8.21 R$41.59

56.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$3.41 R$17.30

236.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.61 R$48.74

39.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.92 R$9.71

63.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.19 R$6.05

21.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$0.96 R$4.89

261.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.22 R$6.19

151.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.67 R$3.38

183.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.85 R$4.32

108.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.57 R$2.87

310.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.58 R$2.95

167.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$1.63 R$8.24

598.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$6.03 R$30.58

76.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.99 R$5.00

129.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.37 R$6.95

105.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.37 R$6.97

94.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$82.1 R$416

-5.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.28 R$6.51

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.80 R$4.07

85.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.23 R$41.74

299.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.23 R$6.22

8.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.1K R$106.7K

33.72%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$31.0K R$157.2K

-36.68%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$58.6 R$297

29.54%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$7.84 R$39.76

333.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$13.82 R$70.0

206.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$21.66 R$110

37.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$4.92 R$24.95

126.63%

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

$507 CA$717

$148 R$748

243.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$2,691 R$13.6K

496.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$46.04 R$233

25.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$40.39 R$205

-6.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$55.0 R$279

67.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$48.67 R$247

125.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$444 R$2,251

183.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$119 R$604

695.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$677 R$3,429

215.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$280 R$1,420

476.01%

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)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$278 R$1,411

915.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.67

-58.01%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cabo Frio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Cabo Frio

$119 17.6% 87.4% $828

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Cabo Frio

$162 23.9% 53.2% $184

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Cabo Frio

$106 15.6% 63.2% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Cabo Frio

$80 11.9% 47.2% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Cabo Frio

$86 12.6% 35.9% $48

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Cabo Frio

$93 13.7% 5.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Cabo Frio

$32 4.7% 39.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $444 in Cabo Frio. 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $30.00 in Cabo Frio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $162 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

222,161

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

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).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Montreal
Cabo Frio

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 Cabo Frio: 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 $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,016 in Cabo Frio. 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 $2,018 in Montreal and $678 in Cabo Frio. 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.