Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Lavras

For one person, living is cheaper in Lavras: $885 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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 Lavras
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Lavras Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Lavras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Lavras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,059 in Montreal versus $885 in Lavras.

Montreal $2,059
Lavras $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,123 in Montreal versus $1,256 in Lavras.

Montreal $3,123
Lavras $1,256

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,187 in Montreal versus $1,626 in Lavras.

Montreal $4,187
Lavras $1,626

Living in Montreal is roughly 133% more expensive than in Lavras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 52% above, Lavras is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$4.24 R$21.52

344.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$18.15 R$92.0

303.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$8.08 R$40.94

30.45%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$1.89 R$9.60

110.05%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.27 R$6.41

52.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$0.66 R$3.34

137.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$2.16 R$10.93

197.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$2.31 R$11.71

211.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$0.77 R$3.88

201.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.80 R$9.11

77.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$1.35 R$6.86

136.30%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$2.27 R$11.52

62.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$9.68 R$49.06

36.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$4.42 R$22.41

164.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$7.84 R$39.77

78.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.21 R$6.15

159.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.27 R$6.43

14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$0.82 R$4.14

312.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$1.22 R$6.20

154.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$0.77 R$3.90

150.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.01 R$5.14

81.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$0.80 R$4.03

195.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.77 R$3.92

94.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$2.53 R$12.85

339.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$8.00 R$40.54

32.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.18 R$5.97

88.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$1.63 R$8.28

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$1.03 R$5.20

154.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$60.6 R$307

30.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$1.03 R$5.24

213.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.75 R$3.83

97.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$6.45 R$32.68

399.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.30 R$6.59

4.62%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$22.9K R$116.2K

20.65%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$33.6K R$170.2K

-36.89%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$76.4 R$387

0.88%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$10.43 R$52.9

227.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$20.61 R$104

104.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$30.07 R$152

2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$18.16 R$92.1

8.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$7.92 R$40.16

44.82%

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

$506 CA$716

$286 R$1,452

76.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$3,301 R$16.7K

391.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$60.6 R$307

-5.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$49.25 R$250

-22.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$99.2 R$503

-7.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$70.8 R$359

54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$359 R$1,819

244.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$252 R$1,278

287.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$347 R$1,759

528.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$276 R$1,400

482.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$1,212 R$6,142

322.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$997 R$5,055

275.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

$482 R$2,445

513.15%

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 20, 2026

Last update for Lavras: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Lavras

$252 28.5% 74.2% $725

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Lavras

$180 20.3% 48.8% $171

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Lavras

$104 11.8% 64.2% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Lavras

$107 12.1% 30% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Lavras

$126 14.2% 5.8% $7.7

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Lavras

$70 7.9% 30.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Lavras

$46 5.2% 14.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,237 in Montreal and $359 in Lavras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 513% 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: $73.0 in Montreal vs $18.00 in Lavras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $180 per month, with Lavras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Lavras

🕒 Local time

02:48 2:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

104,761

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 →

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Between locations

Montreal Lavras 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Lavras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lavras wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Montreal. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lavras the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 513% 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: $1,237 in Montreal versus $359 in Lavras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Lavras runs roughly 31% less than in Montreal. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $506 in Montreal versus $286 in Lavras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $885 in Lavras versus $2,059 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lavras but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Lavras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lavras delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $885 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lavras hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Montreal and Lavras 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 Lavras gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.