Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Joinville

For one person, living is cheaper in Joinville: $919 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,003
/mo nomad
Joinville
🇧🇷 Brazil
$919
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Joinville

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $919 in Joinville, rent included.

  • Montreal $2,003
  • Joinville $919

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,553 in Joinville, rent included.

  • Montreal $3,048
  • Joinville $1,553

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,187 in Joinville, rent included.

  • Montreal $4,092
  • Joinville $2,187

Montreal costs about 118% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Joinville is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.31 CA$27.52
$8.60 R$42.93
124.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.5 CA$108
$49.98 R$250
51.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 CA$15.15
$6.87 R$34.31
54.73%
Cappuccino
$3.93 CA$5.60
$1.91 R$9.52
105.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.73
$1.12 R$5.58
71.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 CA$2.11
$0.48 R$2.39
208.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.30 CA$8.98
$3.34 R$16.66
88.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 CA$10.24
$2.44 R$12.18
194.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 CA$3.17
$1.01 R$5.04
119.80%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 CA$4.36
$1.27 R$6.33
140.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.94 CA$4.19
$1.01 R$5.05
191.09%
Eggs
$3.53 CA$5.03
$2.91 R$14.54
21.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.19 CA$18.79
$8.38 R$41.85
57.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.24 CA$16.02
$3.24 R$16.17
246.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.81 CA$19.69
$6.64 R$33.15
107.98%
Apples (1kg)
$3.40 CA$4.85
$1.78 R$8.87
91.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.06
$1.16 R$5.81
24.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 CA$4.65
$1.44 R$7.18
126.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 CA$4.10
$1.79 R$8.94
60.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 CA$2.65
$1.31 R$6.55
41.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 CA$2.60
$1.27 R$6.32
43.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 CA$3.46
$1.52 R$7.59
59.87%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 CA$2.17
$1.02 R$5.09
49.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.45 CA$16.32
$3.28 R$16.35
249.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.36 CA$14.76
$9.55 R$47.67
8.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.16
$1.11 R$5.53
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 CA$4.02
$3.23 R$16.14
-12.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 CA$3.67
$1.29 R$6.42
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.9 CA$110
$60.3 R$301
27.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 CA$4.64
$1.95 R$9.72
66.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.11
$1.64 R$8.20
-9.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.04 CA$47.09
$9.88 R$49.31
234.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.94
$1.30 R$6.49
4.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K CA$39.1K
$24.5K R$122.4K
11.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.0K CA$28.5K
$33.6K R$167.5K
-40.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.1 CA$109
$60.2 R$300
26.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.68 CA$49.43
$11.53 R$57.6
200.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.69 CA$60.9
$21.45 R$107
99.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.94 CA$41.26
$27.15 R$136
6.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.33 CA$28.97
$27.92 R$139
-27.18%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 CA$15.98
$8.96 R$44.70
25.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$505 CA$720
$318 R$1,587
58.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K CA$22.8K
$6,640 R$33.1K
141.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.5 CA$83.4
$46.19 R$231
26.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.00 CA$54.2
$94.2 R$470
-59.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 CA$132
$89.5 R$447
3.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 CA$151
$70.1 R$350
50.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 CA$1,768
$426 R$2,126
191.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$986 CA$1,405
$258 R$1,286
282.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 CA$2,996
$765 R$3,820
174.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,615 CA$2,302
$551 R$2,752
192.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,043 CA$7,188
$1,943 R$9,699
159.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,830 CA$5,459
$1,288 R$6,429
197.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Joinville
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 CA$4,163
$695 R$3,468
320.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.46
10.5
-57.52%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Joinville: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$986
Joinville
$258 73.9% $728
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$344
Joinville
$186 45.8% $157
Eating Out
Montreal
$293
Joinville
$140 52.1% $153
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$154
Joinville
$93 39.3% $60
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$133
Joinville
$135 1.7% $2.3
Getting Around
Montreal
$98
Joinville
$76 22.7% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$51
Joinville
$45 12.2% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $426 in Joinville. 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 320% 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $50.0 in Joinville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $186 – making Joinville the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇧🇷 Joinville
🕒 Local time
06:10 6:10 AM
07:10 7:10 AM
1 h ahead of Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
616,317
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Joinville 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Joinville

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 Joinville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or Joinville?
Montreal costs about 118% more than Joinville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Montreal and in Joinville?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $1,378 in Joinville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Montreal or Joinville?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Joinville, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Montreal or in Joinville?
Groceries cost about 85% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Montreal and in Joinville?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $50.0 in Joinville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Montreal or in Joinville?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Joinville, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Joinville it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or Joinville?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Joinville costs $919 versus $2,003 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Montreal compared to Joinville?
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.
Should I move to Montreal or to Joinville?
If budget matters most, go with Joinville. 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.

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