Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Paulista

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulista: $787 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Paulista
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Paulista Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Paulista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Paulista

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $787 in Paulista, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Paulista $787

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,225 in Paulista, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Paulista $1,225

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,663 in Paulista, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Paulista $1,663

Montreal costs about 157% more than Paulista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Paulista is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$7.05 R$35.72

166.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$15.92 R$80.7

341.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$8.24 R$41.79

29.37%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.58 R$8.03

143.04%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.07 R$5.43

79.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.42 R$2.13

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.92 R$9.71

224.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.54 R$17.94

100.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.02 R$5.16

126.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.82 R$9.20

72.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.03 R$5.22

211.65%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.17 R$11.02

62.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$2.89 R$14.64

343.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$2.96 R$15.01

287.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$5.69 R$28.86

135.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.02 R$10.25

55.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.95 R$4.80

51.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$0.92 R$4.64

277.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.18 R$5.97

160.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.37 R$6.95

38.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.84 R$4.26

110.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.41 R$2.09

470.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.86 R$4.37

80.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.27 R$11.52

401.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$3.74 R$18.95

184.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.55 R$7.87

46.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$3.29 R$16.70

-14.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.04 R$5.28

155.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$48.16 R$244

60.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.97 R$9.99

62.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$1.17 R$5.95

26.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$3.25 R$16.46

911.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.09 R$5.51

22.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$14.2K R$72.2K

97.68%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$30.0K R$151.9K

-34.51%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$46.71 R$237

62.62%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$23.42 R$119

44.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$23.62 R$120

79.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$25.85 R$131

15.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$27.58 R$140

-26.47%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$5.88 R$29.81

89.63%

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

$507 CA$717

$69.7 R$353

627.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$6,903 R$35.0K

132.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$18.37 R$93.1

213.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$68.6 R$348

-45.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$50.4 R$256

82.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$59.7 R$303

83.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$354 R$1,796

255.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$237 R$1,201

299.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$688 R$3,485

210.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$464 R$2,353

247.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,798 R$9,115

175.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,346 R$6,824

185.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

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 12, 2026

Last update for Paulista: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Paulista

$237 30.1% 75% $711

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Paulista

$147 18.6% 57.7% $200

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Paulista

$123 15.6% 57.4% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Paulista

$94 11.9% 38.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Paulista

$89 11.3% 33.5% $45

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Paulista

$60 7.7% 38.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Paulista

$38 4.8% 27.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $354 in Paulista. 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 $70.0 in Montreal versus $16.00 in Paulista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $147 – making Paulista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Paulista

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

342,167

💱 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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Montreal Paulista 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Paulista

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 Paulista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 157% more than Paulista, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Montreal and $1,180 in Paulista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 136% 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 $70.0 in Montreal and $16.00 in Paulista. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Paulista, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Paulista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Paulista costs $787 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 Paulista. 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.