Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Joao Pessoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Joao Pessoa: $1,059 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Joao Pessoa
Learn more

Joao Pessoa Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Joao Pessoa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Joao Pessoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,003 in Montreal versus $1,059 in Joao Pessoa.

Montreal $2,003
Joao Pessoa $1,059

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,048 in Montreal versus $1,635 in Joao Pessoa.

Montreal $3,048
Joao Pessoa $1,635

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,092 in Montreal versus $2,210 in Joao Pessoa.

Montreal $4,092
Joao Pessoa $2,210

Living in Montreal is roughly 89% more expensive than in Joao Pessoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Joao Pessoa is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$7.18 R$35.82

168.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$29.50 R$147

155.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$7.99 R$39.91

33.04%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$1.60 R$7.98

145.63%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.02 R$5.07

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.69 R$3.43

114.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$1.88 R$9.41

235.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$3.52 R$17.56

104.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.23 R$6.13

80.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$2.13 R$10.61

43.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.54 R$7.69

90.91%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.13 R$10.62

65.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$8.63 R$43.08

52.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$5.02 R$25.04

123.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$7.43 R$37.08

85.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$3.26 R$16.29

4.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.02 R$5.10

41.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$0.92 R$4.61

254.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.18 R$5.87

144.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.64 R$8.17

13.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.26 R$6.31

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.76 R$3.78

219.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.86 R$4.27

76.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$2.99 R$14.92

282.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$8.95 R$44.69

15.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.56 R$7.78

42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$3.31 R$16.54

-14.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.02 R$5.10

152.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$70.5 R$352

9.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$2.01 R$10.04

61.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.97 R$9.86

-24.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$3.25 R$16.24

916.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.28 R$6.37

6.25%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$23.7K R$118.5K

15.56%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$33.2K R$165.5K

-39.75%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$131 R$652

-41.69%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$23.38 R$117

48.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$24.22 R$121

76.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$38.84 R$194

-25.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$29.64 R$148

-31.41%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$10.88 R$54.3

3.03%

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

$505 CA$720

$441 R$2,204

14.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$6,925 R$34.6K

131.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$54.6 R$272

7.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$68.7 R$343

-44.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$89.5 R$447

3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$77.3 R$386

36.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$404 R$2,014

207.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$266 R$1,328

270.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$662 R$3,303

217.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$523 R$2,609

208.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$2,432 R$12.1K

107.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,189 R$5,935

222.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$505 R$2,521

478.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

-59.45%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Joao Pessoa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Joao Pessoa

$266 25.3% 73% $720

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Joao Pessoa

$207 19.6% 39.9% $137

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Joao Pessoa

$124 11.8% 57.7% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Joao Pessoa

$178 16.9% 16.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Joao Pessoa

$131 12.4% 1.7% $2.2

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Joao Pessoa

$86 8.2% 11.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Joao Pessoa

$61 5.8% 18% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,240 in Montreal and $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 478% 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 $29.00 in Joao Pessoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $207 per month, with Joao Pessoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Joao Pessoa

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

833,932

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Joao Pessoa 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Joao Pessoa

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 Joao Pessoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Joao Pessoa differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($2,003 vs $1,059 including rent). Joao Pessoa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 478% 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 $404 in Joao Pessoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $505 in Montreal versus $441 in Joao Pessoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Montreal. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,059 in Joao Pessoa versus $2,003 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Joao Pessoa but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Joao Pessoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Joao Pessoa 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 Joao Pessoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.