Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $869 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Jacareí

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $869 in Jacareí.

Montreal $2,018
Jacareí $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,385 in Jacareí.

Montreal $3,085
Jacareí $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $1,900 in Jacareí.

Montreal $4,152
Jacareí $1,900

Living in Montreal is roughly 132% more expensive than in Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Jacareí is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.76

$7.15 R$35.89

163.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$31.77 R$159

121.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.15

$7.06 R$35.42

50.99%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$2.18 R$10.93

76.15%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.57 R$7.86

22.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$0.92 R$4.63

67.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$2.67 R$13.40

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.09

$2.97 R$14.92

139.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.26 R$6.32

83.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$1.86 R$9.33

68.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.17 R$5.85

174.36%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$2.44 R$12.24

44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.22

$9.25 R$46.41

38.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$4.51 R$22.65

154.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$9.63 R$48.30

39.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$2.63 R$13.19

19.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.88 R$9.44

-23.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$1.84 R$9.21

88.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.87 R$9.39

64.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.38 R$6.90

37.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.31 R$6.60

35.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$0.99 R$4.96

136.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$0.76 R$3.80

103.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$2.38 R$11.96

378.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.12

$7.98 R$40.02

33.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.66 R$8.33

36.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.95 R$14.82

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$1.04 R$5.23

155.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

$49.52 R$248

56.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$1.28 R$6.42

150.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.43 R$7.20

3.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.75

$9.44 R$47.37

248.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.26 R$6.31

6.35%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$23.7K R$118.7K

18.98%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$33.3K R$167.0K

-41.02%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$42.87 R$215

77.19%

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

$33.95 CA$48.28

$12.19 R$61.2

178.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.2

$22.01 R$110

92.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.31

$23.26 R$117

27.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.84

$29.25 R$147

-30.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.86

$7.89 R$39.59

41.32%

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

$507 CA$721

$286 R$1,434

77.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$7,746 R$38.9K

107.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$56.3 R$283

2.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$37.60 R$189

-0.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$95.7 R$480

-3.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$59.9 R$301

82.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$342 R$1,715

268.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$229 R$1,150

313.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,038

$721 R$3,616

196.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,294

$405 R$2,034

298.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,052

$1,873 R$9,396

164.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,456

$1,131 R$5,675

239.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,020

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.12

-59.71%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jacareí: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Jacareí

$229 26.4% 75.8% $718

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Jacareí

$216 24.8% 37.7% $131

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Jacareí

$134 15.4% 53.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Jacareí

$77 8.9% 49.4% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Jacareí

$112 12.9% 15.9% $21

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Jacareí

$62 7.2% 36.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Jacareí

$39 4.5% 25% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $342 in Jacareí. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70.0 in Montreal vs $32.00 in Jacareí for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $216 per month, with Jacareí cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

240,275

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Montreal Jacareí 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jacareí wins on cost – living expenses run 132% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jacareí the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,027 in Montreal and $1,304 in Jacareí 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,260 in Montreal versus $342 in Jacareí. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $507 in Montreal versus $286 in Jacareí. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $869 in Jacareí versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jacareí but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Jacareí the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jacareí delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $869 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jacareí hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Jacareí 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 Jacareí gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.