Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Guarulhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarulhos: $974 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Guarulhos

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $974 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Guarulhos $974

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,776 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Guarulhos $1,776

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,578 in Guarulhos, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Guarulhos $2,578

Montreal costs about 107% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Guarulhos is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$9.14 R$46.36

105.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$39.64 R$201

77.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$8.79 R$44.57

21.27%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$2.61 R$13.25

47.13%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.43 R$7.25

34.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.88 R$4.45

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.37 R$12.01

162.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$4.07 R$20.63

74.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.02 R$5.18

126.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.86 R$9.42

68.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.33 R$6.72

141.35%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.57 R$13.04

36.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$12.52 R$63.5

2.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$5.02 R$25.42

128.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$10.63 R$53.9

25.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.40 R$12.17

30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.72 R$8.74

-16.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.60 R$8.12

116.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.53 R$7.74

100.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.26 R$6.39

50.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.25 R$6.34

41.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.92 R$4.67

154.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.86 R$4.37

80.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.48 R$12.55

358.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$9.84 R$49.87

8.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.56 R$7.92

45.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.54 R$12.89

11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.21 R$6.15

119.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$102 R$519

-24.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.23 R$6.26

160.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.71 R$3.62

108.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.85 R$44.85

271.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.29 R$6.53

3.88%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$24.0K R$121.6K

17.37%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$34.6K R$175.4K

-43.27%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$91.9 R$466

-17.34%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$14.76 R$74.8

130.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$22.84 R$116

85.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$27.95 R$142

6.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$10.11 R$51.3

10.29%

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

$507 CA$717

$436 R$2,208

16.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$11.1K R$56.2K

44.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$66.2 R$336

-13.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$58.2 R$295

-35.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$95.1 R$482

-3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$80.5 R$408

36.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$349 R$1,767

261.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$161 R$814

490.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$990 R$5,017

115.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$768 R$3,891

110.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,980 R$10.0K

150.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,472 R$7,464

160.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$379 R$1,924

645.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.25

-60.18%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Guarulhos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Guarulhos

$161 16.5% 83.1% $787

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Guarulhos

$228 23.4% 34.1% $118

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Guarulhos

$160 16.4% 44.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Guarulhos

$129 13.3% 14.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Guarulhos

$135 13.9% 1.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Guarulhos

$112 11.5% 13.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Guarulhos

$48 5% 7.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $349 in Guarulhos. 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 645% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $228 – making Guarulhos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

04:42 4:42 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,291,771

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Guarulhos 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Guarulhos

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 Guarulhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 107% more than Guarulhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,460 in Guarulhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarulhos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $40.00 in Guarulhos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,018 in Montreal and $974 in Guarulhos. That's a gap of about 107%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarulhos, where all-in costs run around $974, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Guarulhos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarulhos costs $974 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Guarulhos. 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.