Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Castanhal

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $846 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,003
/mo nomad
Castanhal
🇧🇷 Brazil
$846
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Castanhal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $846 in Castanhal.

  • Montreal $2,003
  • Castanhal $846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,353 in Castanhal.

  • Montreal $3,048
  • Castanhal $1,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $1,860 in Castanhal.

  • Montreal $4,092
  • Castanhal $1,860

Living in Montreal is roughly 137% more expensive than in Castanhal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.31 CA$27.52
$5.62 R$28.07
243.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.5 CA$108
$30.48 R$152
147.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 CA$15.15
$7.34 R$36.62
44.82%
Cappuccino
$3.93 CA$5.60
$1.87 R$9.33
110.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.73
$1.28 R$6.38
50.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 CA$2.11
$0.77 R$3.82
92.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.30 CA$8.98
$1.94 R$9.70
224.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 CA$10.24
$2.86 R$14.27
151.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 CA$3.17
$1.04 R$5.17
113.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 CA$4.36
$1.63 R$8.16
87.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.94 CA$4.19
$1.20 R$6.00
145.00%
Eggs
$3.53 CA$5.03
$2.16 R$10.78
63.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.19 CA$18.79
$9.24 R$46.14
42.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.24 CA$16.02
$4.06 R$20.26
176.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.81 CA$19.69
$8.17 R$40.80
69.03%
Apples (1kg)
$3.40 CA$4.85
$2.13 R$10.65
59.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.06
$1.27 R$6.35
13.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 CA$4.65
$1.13 R$5.62
188.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 CA$4.10
$1.51 R$7.53
90.73%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 CA$2.65
$1.19 R$5.95
56.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 CA$2.60
$1.03 R$5.13
76.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 CA$3.46
$0.76 R$3.80
219.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 CA$2.17
$0.73 R$3.67
108.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.45 CA$16.32
$2.41 R$12.05
375.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.36 CA$14.76
$7.63 R$38.11
35.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.16
$1.19 R$5.95
86.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 CA$4.02
$2.02 R$10.11
39.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 CA$3.67
$1.00 R$4.98
158.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.9 CA$110
$41.71 R$208
84.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 CA$4.64
$1.27 R$6.33
155.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.11
$0.88 R$4.37
68.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.04 CA$47.09
$7.60 R$37.92
334.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.94
$1.25 R$6.23
8.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K CA$39.1K
$23.2K R$115.6K
18.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.0K CA$28.5K
$31.1K R$155.1K
-35.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.1 CA$109
$72.8 R$363
4.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.68 CA$49.43
$11.79 R$58.9
194.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.69 CA$60.9
$20.26 R$101
110.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.94 CA$41.26
$24.64 R$123
17.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.33 CA$28.97
$26.02 R$130
-21.87%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 CA$15.98
$6.86 R$34.26
63.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$505 CA$720
$286 R$1,425
76.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K CA$22.8K
$6,904 R$34.5K
131.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.5 CA$83.4
$52.6 R$263
11.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.00 CA$54.2
$48.01 R$240
-20.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 CA$132
$92.7 R$463
0.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 CA$151
$69.2 R$345
52.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 CA$1,768
$345 R$1,721
259.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$986 CA$1,405
$233 R$1,164
322.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 CA$2,996
$645 R$3,220
225.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,615 CA$2,302
$461 R$2,303
250.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,043 CA$7,188
$1,571 R$7,844
220.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,830 CA$5,459
$1,125 R$5,617
240.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Castanhal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 CA$4,163
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.46
11
-59.45%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Castanhal: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$986
Castanhal
$233 76.3% $753
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$344
Castanhal
$186 45.9% $158
Eating Out
Montreal
$293
Castanhal
$113 61.4% $180
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$154
Castanhal
$105 31.7% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$133
Castanhal
$118 11% $15
Getting Around
Montreal
$98
Castanhal
$51 47.5% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$51
Castanhal
$38 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $345 in Castanhal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $75.0 in Montreal vs $30.00 in Castanhal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $186 per month, with Castanhal cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇧🇷 Castanhal
🕒 Local time
10:23 10:23 AM
11:23 11:23 AM
1 h ahead of Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
192,256
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Castanhal 5,780 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Castanhal

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 Castanhal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or Castanhal?
Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 137% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Montreal and in Castanhal?
You'd need roughly $3,005 in Montreal and $1,269 in Castanhal 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Montreal compared to Castanhal?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,240 in Montreal versus $345 in Castanhal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Montreal and in Castanhal?
Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $75.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Montreal compared to Castanhal?
All in, you'll spend $2,003 per month in Montreal versus $846 in Castanhal – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Montreal or in Castanhal?
At $846 in Castanhal versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castanhal but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Castanhal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or Castanhal?
Both work as nomad bases, but Castanhal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $846 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Castanhal hard to pass up.
How safe is Montreal compared to Castanhal?
Safety-wise, Montreal and Castanhal are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 137% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Montreal vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?