Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Recife

For one person, living is cheaper in Recife: $909 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Recife

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $909 in Recife, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Recife $909

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,492 in Recife, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Recife $1,492

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $2,075 in Recife, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Recife $2,075

Montreal costs about 120% more than Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Recife is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$5.63 R$28.11

242.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$37.54 R$187

101.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$9.83 R$49.07

8.14%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$2.58 R$12.87

52.33%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.05 R$5.25

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.65 R$3.23

127.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$1.56 R$7.80

303.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$3.13 R$15.63

129.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.38 R$6.90

60.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$1.61 R$8.04

90.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.59 R$7.93

84.91%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$1.89 R$9.43

86.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$7.46 R$37.22

76.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$4.52 R$22.58

148.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$8.17 R$40.77

69.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$1.36 R$6.80

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.36 R$6.78

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$0.76 R$3.80

328.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.28 R$6.40

125.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.41 R$7.05

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.11 R$5.56

63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.52 R$2.60

367.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.90 R$4.51

68.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$1.77 R$8.86

546.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$7.88 R$39.36

31.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.17 R$5.86

89.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$1.54 R$7.67

83.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.82 R$4.09

214.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$37.85 R$189

103.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.21 R$6.02

168.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.78 R$3.90

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

$3.52 R$17.56

838.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.36 R$6.81

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$24.1K R$120.2K

13.92%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$32.8K R$163.7K

-39.08%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$114 R$570

-33.30%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$13.46 R$67.2

157.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$17.75 R$88.6

140.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$21.55 R$108

34.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$34.89 R$174

-41.73%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$8.62 R$43.02

30.05%

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

$505 CA$720

$283 R$1,414

78.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$11.7K R$58.6K

36.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$45.60 R$228

28.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$50.8 R$254

-25.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$76.9 R$384

20.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$83.2 R$415

27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$516 R$2,574

140.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$260 R$1,296

279.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$883 R$4,406

138.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$620 R$3,095

160.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,958 R$9,776

157.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$1,091 R$5,445

251.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$434 R$2,167

572.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

11.75

-62.04%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Recife: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Recife

$260 28.4% 73.7% $726

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Recife

$182 19.9% 47.1% $162

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Recife

$126 13.8% 56.9% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Recife

$145 15.9% 5.3% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Recife

$115 12.6% 13.1% $17

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Recife

$46 5.1% 52.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Recife

$39 4.3% 24.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $516 in Recife. 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 573% 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 $38.00 in Recife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $182 – making Recife the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,488,920

💱 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 = 5.6 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Montreal Recife 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 120% more than Recife, 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 $1,363 in Recife. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 89% 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 $38.00 in Recife. 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 Recife, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Recife it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Recife costs $909 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 Recife. 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.