Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $885 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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 Macaé
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Macaé Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Macaé

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,018 in Montreal versus $885 in Macaé.

Montreal $2,018
Macaé $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,085 in Montreal versus $1,498 in Macaé.

Montreal $3,085
Macaé $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,152 in Montreal versus $2,111 in Macaé.

Montreal $4,152
Macaé $2,111

Living in Montreal is roughly 128% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Montreal is 49% above, Macaé is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$5.49 R$27.83

242.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$30.40 R$154

131.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.09 R$35.95

50.35%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.70 R$8.63

125.88%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.41 R$7.15

36.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.59 R$2.99

161.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.24 R$6.26

402.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.75 R$13.93

158.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$0.97 R$4.91

138.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.53 R$7.73

105.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.37 R$6.95

134.31%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$1.96 R$9.92

79.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.22 R$46.73

38.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$3.36 R$17.04

241.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.58 R$48.57

39.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.96 R$9.91

60.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.21 R$6.12

19.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$0.93 R$4.69

273.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.23 R$6.26

149.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.70 R$3.53

171.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.86 R$4.33

105.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.57 R$2.88

310.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.48 R$2.45

222.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$1.58 R$8.00

620.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$5.99 R$30.36

77.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.03 R$5.21

120.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.23 R$6.24

129.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.55 R$7.83

71.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$84.2 R$427

-8.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.36 R$6.89

135.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.78 R$3.96

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.32 R$42.19

295.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.26 R$6.41

6.35%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.7K R$110.0K

29.78%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$31.4K R$159.2K

-37.50%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$99.6 R$505

-23.76%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$9.95 R$50.4

241.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$19.03 R$96.5

122.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$40.47 R$205

-26.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$29.67 R$150

-31.65%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.77 R$34.31

64.70%

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

$507 CA$717

$659 R$3,339

-23.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$7,291 R$37.0K

120.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$63.7 R$323

-9.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$31.54 R$160

19.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$67.8 R$343

35.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$48.84 R$248

124.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$375 R$1,899

236.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$237 R$1,199

300.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$911 R$4,620

134.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$673 R$3,410

139.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,275 R$6,465

288.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$787 R$3,989

387.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$809 R$4,104

249.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.67

-58.01%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Macaé

$237 26.7% 75% $711

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Macaé

$170 19.2% 51% $177

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Macaé

$105 11.9% 63.4% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 15.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Macaé

$95 10.8% 28.6% $38

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 2.9% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Macaé

$54 6.1% 3.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,260 in Montreal and $375 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreal pays 249% 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: $70.0 in Montreal vs $30.00 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $170 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

246,391

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Macaé 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal and Macaé differ by about 128% in total monthly costs ($2,018 vs $885 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 249% 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: $1,260 in Montreal versus $375 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,018 per month in Montreal versus $885 in Macaé – a 128% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $885 in Macaé versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Macaé but tight or insufficient in Montreal. The gap between the two cities makes Macaé 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 Macaé 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 Macaé gentler on the wallet – expenses run 128% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.