Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Nova Friburgo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $611 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
Learn more

Nova Friburgo Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Nova Friburgo

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $611 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Nova Friburgo $611

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,026 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Nova Friburgo $1,026

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,440 in Nova Friburgo, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Nova Friburgo $1,440

Montreal costs about 230% more than Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Nova Friburgo is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.76

$5.87 R$29.44

220.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$30.15 R$151

133.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.15

$6.38 R$32.01

67.08%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$1.76 R$8.84

118.18%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$0.88 R$4.42

118.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$0.58 R$2.89

165.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$1.19 R$5.95

423.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.09

$2.45 R$12.30

189.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$0.97 R$4.85

138.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$1.51 R$7.58

107.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.38 R$6.94

132.61%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$1.94 R$9.75

81.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.22

$9.21 R$46.22

39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$3.42 R$17.16

235.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$9.52 R$47.79

40.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$1.62 R$8.14

93.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.20 R$6.04

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$0.93 R$4.65

273.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$1.28 R$6.43

139.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$0.65 R$3.25

192.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$0.81 R$4.04

118.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$0.56 R$2.82

317.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$0.76 R$3.83

103.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$1.58 R$7.94

620.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.12

$6.07 R$30.43

75.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.01 R$5.07

124.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$1.42 R$7.12

98.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$0.96 R$4.83

177.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$1.22 R$6.11

162.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.56 R$2.79

164.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.75

$6.87 R$34.45

378.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.25 R$6.27

7.20%

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$20.0K R$100.3K

40.86%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$31.0K R$155.6K

-36.69%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$41.63 R$209

82.46%

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

$33.95 CA$48.28

$9.54 R$47.85

255.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.2

$18.74 R$94.0

125.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.31

$22.35 R$112

33.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.84

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.86

$6.77 R$33.95

64.70%

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

$507 CA$721

$147 R$739

244.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$2,693 R$13.5K

496.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$71.1 R$357

-19.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$84.5 R$424

-55.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$68.1 R$342

34.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$47.77 R$240

129.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$161 R$809

681.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$99.3 R$498

854.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,038

$396 R$1,987

439.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,294

$243 R$1,221

563.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,052

$1,604 R$8,050

209.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,456

$810 R$4,062

374.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,020

$521 R$2,613

442.95%

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 Nova Friburgo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Nova Friburgo

$99 16.3% 89.5% $848

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Nova Friburgo

$172 28.1% 50.4% $175

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Nova Friburgo

$104 17% 63.9% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Nova Friburgo

$70 11.5% 54.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Nova Friburgo

$122 20% 8.5% $11

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3% 92% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Nova Friburgo

$36 5.9% 31.1% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $161 in Nova Friburgo. 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 443% 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $172 – making Nova Friburgo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

189,939

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Nova Friburgo 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Nova Friburgo

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 Nova Friburgo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 230% more than Nova Friburgo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $916 in Nova Friburgo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nova Friburgo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $30.00 in Nova Friburgo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nova Friburgo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Nova Friburgo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nova Friburgo costs $611 versus $2,018 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Nova Friburgo. 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.