Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Chapeco

For one person, living is cheaper in Chapeco: $980 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,059
/mo nomad
Chapeco
🇧🇷 Brazil
$980
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Chapeco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $980 in Chapeco.

  • Montreal $2,059
  • Chapeco $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $1,454 in Chapeco.

  • Montreal $3,123
  • Chapeco $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $1,927 in Chapeco.

  • Montreal $4,187
  • Chapeco $1,927

Living in Montreal is roughly 110% more expensive than in Chapeco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 52% above, Chapeco is 28% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.84 CA$26.63
$5.53 R$28.05
240.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.2 CA$104
$35.46 R$180
106.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.90
$8.92 R$45.20
18.16%
Cappuccino
$3.97 CA$5.61
$1.92 R$9.76
106.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 CA$2.74
$0.75 R$3.80
158.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.22
$0.59 R$2.98
166.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 CA$9.08
$1.45 R$7.33
342.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 CA$10.19
$2.31 R$11.73
211.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CA$3.28
$0.90 R$4.56
157.78%
White Bread (500g)
$3.19 CA$4.51
$1.14 R$5.78
179.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.50
$2.14 R$10.85
49.07%
Eggs
$3.68 CA$5.20
$1.86 R$9.44
97.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.24 CA$18.72
$8.24 R$41.75
60.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.69 CA$16.53
$7.53 R$38.20
55.25%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.98 CA$19.76
$10.95 R$55.5
27.67%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$2.34 R$11.88
34.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 CA$2.05
$0.99 R$5.02
46.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 CA$4.78
$0.53 R$2.68
537.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.11 CA$4.40
$0.70 R$3.54
344.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 CA$2.72
$0.53 R$2.70
264.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 CA$2.58
$0.53 R$2.70
245.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.36 CA$3.34
$0.95 R$4.83
148.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 CA$2.12
$0.70 R$3.53
114.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.12 CA$15.73
$2.32 R$11.75
379.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.60 CA$14.98
$9.31 R$47.19
13.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.14
$0.88 R$4.48
152.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 CA$4.01
$1.48 R$7.49
91.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 CA$3.71
$0.97 R$4.94
170.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.1 CA$112
$36.44 R$185
117.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.56
$1.28 R$6.50
152.34%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.10
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.22 CA$45.55
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.92
$1.17 R$5.93
16.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K CA$39.1K
$22.9K R$116.0K
20.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K CA$30.0K
$30.5K R$154.6K
-30.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.0 CA$109
$172 R$873
-55.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.14 CA$48.26
$10.47 R$53.1
226.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.19 CA$59.7
$18.84 R$95.5
123.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.81 CA$43.56
$26.24 R$133
17.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.66 CA$27.79
$33.45 R$170
-41.23%
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 CA$16.22
$6.68 R$33.86
71.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$506 CA$716
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$23.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.3 CA$81.0
$26.98 R$137
112.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.10 CA$53.9
$18.26 R$92.6
108.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$36.87 R$187
149.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$53.6 R$272
104.83%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 CA$1,748
$415 R$2,103
198.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$977 CA$1,381
$329 R$1,668
196.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,180 CA$3,082
$851 R$4,313
156.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 CA$2,273
$536 R$2,718
199.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,113 CA$7,228
$1,509 R$7,649
238.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,744 CA$5,293
$987 R$5,005
279.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Chapeco
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,957 CA$4,180
$414 R$2,097
614.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
0
-

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$977
Chapeco
$329 66.3% $648
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$351
Chapeco
$196 44.2% $155
Eating Out
Montreal
$290
Chapeco
$111 61.7% $179
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$153
Chapeco
$201 31.3% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$134
Chapeco
$61 54.3% $73
Getting Around
Montreal
$100
Chapeco
$42 * 58.5% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$54
Chapeco
$40 26.3% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $415 in Chapeco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 615% 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: $73.0 in Montreal vs $35.00 in Chapeco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $196 per month, with Chapeco cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇧🇷 Chapeco
🕒 Local time
18:39 6:39 PM
19:39 7:39 PM
1 h ahead of Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
243,477
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Chapeco 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Chapeco

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 Chapeco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or Chapeco?
Chapeco wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chapeco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Montreal or in Chapeco?
Average pay runs 615% higher in Montreal, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Montreal compared to Chapeco?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,237 in Montreal versus $415 in Chapeco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Montreal or in Chapeco?
Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Montreal compared to Chapeco?
All in, you'll spend $2,059 per month in Montreal versus $980 in Chapeco – a 110% 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 Chapeco?
At $980 in Chapeco versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chapeco but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Chapeco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or Chapeco?
Both work as nomad bases, but Chapeco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $980 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chapeco hard to pass up.
How safe is Montreal compared to Chapeco?
Safety-wise, Montreal and Chapeco 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 Chapeco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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