Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Rio Grande

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Grande: $843 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Rio Grande
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Rio Grande Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Rio Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Rio Grande

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $843 in Rio Grande, rent included.

Montreal $2,059
Rio Grande $843

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $1,329 in Rio Grande, rent included.

Montreal $3,123
Rio Grande $1,329

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $1,815 in Rio Grande, rent included.

Montreal $4,187
Rio Grande $1,815

Montreal costs about 144% more than Rio Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.84 CA$26.63

$7.99 R$40.49

135.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 CA$104

$26.45 R$134

176.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 CA$14.90

$7.20 R$36.49

46.39%

Cappuccino

$3.97 CA$5.61

$1.44 R$7.29

175.69%

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

$1.94 CA$2.74

$1.19 R$6.01

63.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 CA$2.22

$0.81 R$4.13

93.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CA$9.08

$2.44 R$12.36

163.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.19

$3.03 R$15.36

137.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.28

$1.01 R$5.12

129.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 CA$4.51

$1.66 R$8.41

92.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.19 CA$4.50

$1.13 R$5.74

182.30%

Eggs

$3.68 CA$5.20

$1.96 R$9.95

87.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 CA$18.72

$4.06 R$20.60

226.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.53

$4.90 R$24.84

138.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 CA$19.76

$9.90 R$50.2

41.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$2.40 R$12.17

30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 CA$2.05

$1.49 R$7.56

-2.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.38 CA$4.78

$1.37 R$6.92

146.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 CA$4.40

$0.58 R$2.94

436.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 CA$2.72

$1.22 R$6.16

58.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.58

$0.72 R$3.64

154.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.36 CA$3.34

$0.38 R$1.94

521.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.57 R$2.91

163.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.12 CA$15.73

$2.52 R$12.76

341.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.60 CA$14.98

$7.91 R$40.10

34.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.14

$1.13 R$5.72

96.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.22 R$11.25

27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 CA$3.71

$0.99 R$5.04

164.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 CA$112

$43.51 R$221

81.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.23 CA$4.56

$1.27 R$6.41

154.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$0.79 R$4.00

87.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.22 CA$45.55

$8.17 R$41.43

294.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.92

$1.19 R$6.01

14.29%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$24.0K R$121.7K

15.19%

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

$21.2K CA$30.0K

$34.1K R$172.8K

-37.82%

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

$77.0 CA$109

$77.2 R$391

-0.19%

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

$34.14 CA$48.26

$9.23 R$46.81

269.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.19 CA$59.7

$21.91 R$111

92.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.81 CA$43.56

$25.97 R$132

18.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.66 CA$27.79

$27.54 R$140

-28.61%

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 CA$16.22

$2.93 R$14.86

291.47%

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

$506 CA$716

$278 R$1,407

82.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K CA$23.0K

$7,170 R$36.3K

126.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 CA$81.0

$31.55 R$160

81.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.10 CA$53.9

$39.52 R$200

-3.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$78.9 R$400

16.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$78.8 R$400

39.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 CA$1,748

$353 R$1,791

250.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 CA$1,381

$244 R$1,239

299.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 CA$3,082

$672 R$3,407

224.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 CA$2,273

$476 R$2,413

237.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,113 CA$7,228

$1,676 R$8,498

205.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,744 CA$5,293

$1,177 R$5,968

218.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

11.5

-61.04%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Rio Grande: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$977 47.4%

Rio Grande

$244 29% 75% $732

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$351 17.1%

Rio Grande

$174 20.7% 50.4% $177

Eating Out

Montreal

$290 14.1%

Rio Grande

$129 15.3% 55.6% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$153 7.5%

Rio Grande

$108 12.9% 29.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$134 6.5%

Rio Grande

$103 12.2% 23% $31

Getting Around

Montreal

$100 4.9%

Rio Grande

$53 6.3% 47.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$54 2.6%

Rio Grande

$32 3.8% 40.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $353 in Rio Grande. 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 $26.00 in Rio Grande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $174 – making Rio Grande the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Rio Grande

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

20:49 8:49 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

198,935

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Montreal Rio Grande 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Rio Grande

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 Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 144% more than Rio Grande, 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 $3,089 per month in Montreal and $1,265 in Rio Grande. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 102% 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 $26.00 in Rio Grande. 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 Grande, where all-in costs run around $843, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Rio Grande 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 Grande costs $843 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 Rio Grande. 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.