Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Palmas

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Palmas

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $834 in Palmas, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Palmas $834

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $1,292 in Palmas, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Palmas $1,292

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $1,751 in Palmas, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Palmas $1,751

Montreal costs about 147% more than Palmas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 52% above the global median, while Palmas is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$3.96 R$20.06

375.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$20.09 R$102

264.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$8.07 R$40.93

30.61%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$1.43 R$7.27

177.62%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.82 R$9.21

6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$1.12 R$5.69

40.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$1.42 R$7.22

352.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$3.10 R$15.70

132.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.08 R$5.47

114.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.47 R$7.45

117.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$1.24 R$6.28

157.26%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$2.67 R$13.52

37.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$7.12 R$36.11

85.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$3.12 R$15.80

274.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$6.31 R$31.98

121.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.17 R$10.98

44.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.75 R$8.85

-17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$1.23 R$6.25

174.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$1.22 R$6.21

154.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.27 R$6.42

51.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$1.07 R$5.43

71.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$0.77 R$3.91

206.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.77 R$3.91

94.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$2.46 R$12.48

352.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$7.16 R$36.30

48.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.32 R$6.71

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.10 R$10.66

35.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$0.73 R$3.72

258.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$43.43 R$220

82.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$1.32 R$6.71

144.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.84 R$4.28

76.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$7.84 R$39.74

310.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.20 R$6.08

13.33%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$23.9K R$121.4K

15.47%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$33.0K R$167.3K

-35.79%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$115 R$581

-32.83%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$11.64 R$59.0

193.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$19.99 R$101

111.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$23.48 R$119

31.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$27.34 R$139

-28.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$6.58 R$33.36

74.32%

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

$506 CA$716

$155 R$785

226.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$7,304 R$37.0K

122.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$36.91 R$187

55.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$50.5 R$256

-24.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$115 R$583

-20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$72.5 R$368

51.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$299 R$1,514

314.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$204 R$1,035

378.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$624 R$3,162

249.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$427 R$2,165

276.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$1,718 R$8,707

197.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$1,207 R$6,116

210.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-59.27%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Palmas: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Palmas

$204 24.5% 79.1% $773

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Palmas

$173 20.7% 50.8% $178

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Palmas

$98 11.8% 66.2% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Palmas

$146 17.6% 4.6% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Palmas

$124 14.8% 7.5% $10

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Palmas

$52 6.2% 48.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Palmas

$37 4.4% 31.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $299 in Palmas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal versus $20.00 in Palmas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $173 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Palmas

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

302,692

💱 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 →

On the map

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Montreal Palmas 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Montreal
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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 Palmas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 147% more than Palmas, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $1,250 in Palmas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 103% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $20.00 in Palmas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Palmas, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Palmas costs $834 versus $2,059 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 Palmas. 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.