Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Curitiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Curitiba: $1,035 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Curitiba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $1,035 in Curitiba.

Montreal $2,003
Curitiba $1,035

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,617 in Curitiba.

Montreal $3,048
Curitiba $1,617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $2,199 in Curitiba.

Montreal $4,092
Curitiba $2,199

Living in Montreal is roughly 94% more expensive than in Curitiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Curitiba is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$8.04 R$40.15

140.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$40.63 R$203

85.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$9.14 R$45.64

16.30%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$2.71 R$13.55

45.02%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.16 R$5.77

65.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.90 R$4.47

64.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$2.74 R$13.66

129.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$4.08 R$20.38

76.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.10 R$5.47

101.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$1.85 R$9.23

65.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.35 R$6.73

117.78%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.49 R$12.42

41.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$10.30 R$51.4

28.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$4.93 R$24.59

127.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$10.54 R$52.6

31.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$1.75 R$8.75

94.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.12 R$5.57

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.00 R$5.01

226.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.35 R$6.73

113.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$0.86 R$4.27

116.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$0.78 R$3.92

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.73 R$3.66

232.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.83 R$4.15

83.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$3.05 R$15.21

275.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$7.64 R$38.12

35.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.30 R$6.49

70.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.44 R$12.16

15.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.17 R$5.83

120.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$73.4 R$367

4.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.32 R$6.61

146.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.81 R$4.07

82.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$5.98 R$29.85

452.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.36 R$6.79

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$23.4K R$117.0K

16.99%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$33.4K R$166.8K

-40.23%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$103 R$516

-26.38%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$14.97 R$74.7

131.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$23.58 R$118

81.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$29.27 R$146

-1.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$20.06 R$100

1.35%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$7.64 R$38.14

46.73%

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

$505 CA$720

$379 R$1,894

33.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$11.2K R$55.7K

43.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$56.5 R$282

3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$56.0 R$280

-32.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$97.4 R$486

-4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$80.1 R$400

32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$520 R$2,596

138.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$300 R$1,499

228.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$827 R$4,128

154.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$545 R$2,723

196.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,450 R$12.2K

105.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,755 R$8,762

118.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$689 R$3,438

324.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.54

-61.35%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Curitiba: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Curitiba

$300 28.4% 69.6% $686

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Curitiba

$202 19.1% 41.3% $142

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Curitiba

$154 14.6% 47.3% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Curitiba

$142 13.4% 7.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Curitiba

$130 12.3% 1.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Curitiba

$84 7.9% 14.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Curitiba

$45 4.2% 13.3% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $520 in Curitiba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 324% 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 $41.00 in Curitiba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $202 per month, with Curitiba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,773,718

💱 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 = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Montreal Curitiba 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Curitiba

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 Curitiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Curitiba wins on cost – living expenses run 94% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Curitiba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 324% 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 $520 in Curitiba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Curitiba runs roughly 5% 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 $379 in Curitiba. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,035 in Curitiba versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Curitiba but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Curitiba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Curitiba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,035 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Curitiba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Curitiba 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 Curitiba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 94% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.