Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Rio das Ostras

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio das Ostras: $715 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Rio das Ostras
Learn more

Rio das Ostras Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Rio das Ostras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Rio das Ostras

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 Rio das Ostras actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $715 in Rio das Ostras, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Rio das Ostras $715

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,208 in Rio das Ostras, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Rio das Ostras $1,208

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,701 in Rio das Ostras, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Rio das Ostras $1,701

Montreal costs about 182% more than Rio das Ostras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Rio das Ostras is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$6.03 R$30.59

212.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$29.90 R$152

135.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$6.99 R$35.45

52.50%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.80 R$9.10

113.33%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.36 R$6.89

41.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.62 R$3.12

148.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.17 R$5.91

432.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.10 R$15.70

129.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.02 R$5.19

126.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.58 R$8.02

98.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.25 R$6.35

156.80%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$1.94 R$9.86

81.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$7.98 R$40.43

60.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$3.55 R$18.02

222.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$8.67 R$43.97

54.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.87 R$9.50

67.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.16 R$5.89

24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$0.97 R$4.94

257.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.27 R$6.44

141.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$0.65 R$3.31

192.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.80 R$4.07

121.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.52 R$2.66

350.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.73 R$3.68

112.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.16 R$10.93

426.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$8.78 R$44.53

21.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$2.09 R$10.59

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$1.42 R$7.18

98.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.99 R$5.01

168.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$41.72 R$211

85.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.42 R$7.22

125.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.78 R$3.97

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$7.95 R$40.29

313.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.18 R$5.99

13.56%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$21.6K R$109.4K

30.49%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$31.4K R$159.2K

-37.51%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$68.8 R$349

10.44%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$10.09 R$51.2

236.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$19.47 R$98.7

117.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$23.99 R$122

24.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$27.80 R$141

-27.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$6.52 R$33.08

71.01%

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

$507 CA$717

$328 R$1,662

54.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$7,823 R$39.7K

105.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$55.5 R$281

3.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$28.36 R$144

32.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$67.9 R$344

35.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$48.75 R$247

124.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$204 R$1,036

516.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$149 R$757

534.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$540 R$2,738

295.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$413 R$2,095

290.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,714 R$8,689

189.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,192 R$6,043

221.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$556 R$2,817

408.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-55.20%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Rio das Ostras: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Rio das Ostras

$149 20.9% 84.2% $798

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Rio das Ostras

$178 25% 48.5% $168

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Rio das Ostras

$111 15.5% 61.5% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Rio das Ostras

$98 13.8% 35.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Rio das Ostras

$90 12.6% 32.4% $43

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Rio das Ostras

$51 7.1% 48.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Rio das Ostras

$37 5.2% 28.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $204 in Rio das Ostras. 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 409% 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 Rio das Ostras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $178 – making Rio das Ostras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Rio das Ostras

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

156,491

💱 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 →

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Montreal Rio das Ostras 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Rio das Ostras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 182% more than Rio das Ostras, 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 $1,073 in Rio das Ostras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 94% 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 $30.00 in Rio das Ostras. 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 Rio das Ostras, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Rio das Ostras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rio das Ostras costs $715 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 Rio das Ostras. 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.