Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Cuiaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Cuiaba: $1,008 a month against $2,067 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,067

/mo nomad

Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Cuiaba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,067 in Montreal versus $1,008 in Cuiaba.

Montreal $2,067
Cuiaba $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,179 in Montreal versus $1,521 in Cuiaba.

Montreal $3,179
Cuiaba $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,291 in Montreal versus $2,035 in Cuiaba.

Montreal $4,291
Cuiaba $2,035

Living in Montreal is roughly 105% more expensive than in Cuiaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 53% above, Cuiaba is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.89 CA$26.48

$5.05 R$27.69

274.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.6 CA$102

$27.63 R$152

162.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.79 CA$15.13

$7.39 R$40.57

46.01%

Cappuccino

$3.98 CA$5.58

$1.68 R$9.22

136.90%

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

$2.02 CA$2.83

$1.37 R$7.50

47.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 CA$2.29

$0.68 R$3.72

139.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.32 CA$8.86

$1.81 R$9.95

249.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 CA$9.90

$2.43 R$13.33

190.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 CA$3.27

$1.07 R$5.89

117.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 CA$4.55

$1.48 R$8.10

119.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.58

$1.69 R$9.28

92.90%

Eggs

$3.48 CA$4.87

$2.84 R$15.56

22.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.73 CA$19.25

$16.00 R$87.8

-14.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 CA$16.09

$4.44 R$24.37

158.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.26 CA$19.99

$10.30 R$56.5

38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CA$4.94

$2.09 R$11.46

68.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 CA$2.04

$2.28 R$12.52

-35.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.78

$2.32 R$12.70

46.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 CA$4.49

$2.71 R$14.87

18.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 CA$2.71

$2.38 R$13.04

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 CA$2.50

$1.97 R$10.80

-9.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 CA$3.53

$1.48 R$8.13

70.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.22

$1.31 R$7.20

20.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.51 CA$16.13

$2.10 R$11.54

448.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.82

$10.45 R$57.4

1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$1.81 R$9.92

29.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 CA$4.06

$2.82 R$15.50

2.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.66

$0.88 R$4.81

196.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 CA$110

$36.17 R$198

116.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 CA$4.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 CA$2.09

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.49 CA$46.94

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$1.15 R$6.30

18.26%

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

$28.0K CA$39.3K

$27.5K R$151.1K

1.76%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$31.5K R$172.6K

-32.80%

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

$77.6 CA$109

$165 R$905

-52.99%

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

$35.63 CA$49.94

$17.54 R$96.3

103.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.73 CA$61.3

$24.33 R$133

79.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 CA$42.16

$23.85 R$131

26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.97 CA$27.99

$18.54 R$102

7.71%

Cinema Ticket

$11.27 CA$15.80

$5.47 R$29.99

106.03%

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

$522 CA$732

$412 R$2,259

26.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K CA$24.9K

$8,753 R$48.0K

103.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.0 CA$82.7

$69.4 R$381

-15.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.01 CA$54.7

$45.62 R$250

-14.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 CA$140

$140 R$769

-28.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$64.0 R$351

71.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 CA$1,820

$306 R$1,680

323.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$970 CA$1,360

$218 R$1,196

345.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,323 CA$3,257

$724 R$3,972

220.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 CA$2,368

$384 R$2,108

339.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,004 CA$7,014

$1,236 R$6,779

304.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,736 CA$5,237

$745 R$4,087

401.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 CA$4,125

$372 R$2,041

691.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

16.1

-71.99%

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

Last update for Montreal: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cuiaba: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$970 47%

Cuiaba

$218 21.6% 77.5% $752

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$357 17.3%

Cuiaba

$260 25.8% 27.2% $97

Eating Out

Montreal

$292 14.1%

Cuiaba

$105 10.4% 64% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$157 7.6%

Cuiaba

$207 20.5% 31.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$138 6.7%

Cuiaba

$144 14.3% 3.8% $5.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.8%

Cuiaba

$40 * 3.9% 60.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$53 2.6%

Cuiaba

$35 3.5% 33.9% $18

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 $1,298 in Montreal and $306 in Cuiaba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $73 in Montreal vs $28 in Cuiaba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $357 vs $260 per month, with Cuiaba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

20:45 8:45 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

650,877

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Cuiaba 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Cuiaba

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 Cuiaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cuiaba wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cuiaba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Montreal is about 7.9 times higher, 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: $1,298 in Montreal versus $306 in Cuiaba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cuiaba – a meal for two runs $28 versus $73 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,067 per month in Montreal versus $1,008 in Cuiaba – Cuiaba is about 51% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cuiaba is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Cuiaba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.