Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Porto Alegre

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Alegre: $990 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Porto Alegre
Learn more

Porto Alegre Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Porto Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Porto Alegre

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $990 in Porto Alegre, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Porto Alegre $990

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,567 in Porto Alegre, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Porto Alegre $1,567

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,143 in Porto Alegre, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Porto Alegre $2,143

Montreal costs about 102% more than Porto Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Porto Alegre is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$7.85 R$39.17

145.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$39.44 R$197

91.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$7.16 R$35.72

48.46%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$2.62 R$13.10

50.00%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.39 R$6.96

38.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$1.07 R$5.33

38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$2.42 R$12.08

160.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$2.93 R$14.64

145.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.04 R$5.18

113.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$1.72 R$8.59

77.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.08 R$5.39

172.22%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.42 R$12.09

45.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$10.08 R$50.3

30.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$4.81 R$24.02

133.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$9.73 R$48.56

41.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.44 R$12.20

39.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.45 R$7.23

-0.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.40 R$6.99

132.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.66 R$8.28

73.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.21 R$6.04

53.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.08 R$5.41

68.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.89 R$4.44

173.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.82 R$4.11

85.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$2.46 R$12.28

365.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$8.17 R$40.80

26.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.12 R$5.61

98.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.16 R$10.77

30.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$1.02 R$5.11

152.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$59.5 R$297

29.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.26 R$6.30

157.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.79 R$3.94

87.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$8.34 R$41.65

296.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.34 R$6.70

1.49%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$23.5K R$117.2K

16.86%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$34.4K R$171.5K

-41.85%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$77.6 R$387

-1.87%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$12.72 R$63.5

172.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$21.94 R$110

94.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$29.96 R$150

-3.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$30.96 R$155

-34.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$7.41 R$36.98

51.28%

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

$505 CA$720

$568 R$2,837

-11.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$24.1K R$120.3K

-33.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$51.0 R$255

14.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$59.1 R$295

-35.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$103 R$512

-9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$77.9 R$389

35.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$483 R$2,411

156.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$280 R$1,396

252.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$816 R$4,072

157.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$462 R$2,307

249.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,675 R$8,363

201.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,302 R$6,499

194.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$546 R$2,725

435.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.5

-61.22%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Porto Alegre: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Porto Alegre

$280 28.4% 71.6% $706

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Porto Alegre

$205 20.9% 40.2% $138

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Porto Alegre

$144 14.6% 51% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Porto Alegre

$112 11.4% 26.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Porto Alegre

$131 13.3% 1.5% $2

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Porto Alegre

$69 7% 29.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Porto Alegre

$45 4.5% 12.8% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $483 in Porto Alegre. 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 435% 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $39.00 in Porto Alegre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $205 – making Porto Alegre the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Porto Alegre

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,332,833

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Porto Alegre 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Porto Alegre

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 Porto Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 102% more than Porto Alegre, 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 $3,005 per month in Montreal and $1,486 in Porto Alegre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 67% 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 $75.0 in Montreal and $39.00 in Porto Alegre. 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 Porto Alegre, where all-in costs run around $990, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Porto Alegre it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Porto Alegre costs $990 versus $2,003 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 Porto Alegre. 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.