Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $743 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Santa Maria

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $743 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Santa Maria $743

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,242 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Santa Maria $1,242

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,742 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Santa Maria $1,742

Montreal costs about 172% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Santa Maria is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$5.45 R$27.65

245.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$36.62 R$186

91.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$6.82 R$34.57

56.30%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.85 R$9.36

107.57%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.07 R$5.40

79.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.68 R$3.46

126.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$1.63 R$8.29

282.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$3.07 R$15.55

131.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$1.04 R$5.27

122.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.64 R$8.31

91.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.08 R$5.48

197.22%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.10 R$10.64

67.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.43 R$47.80

35.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$3.96 R$20.07

189.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$8.20 R$41.58

63.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$2.48 R$12.57

26.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$1.50 R$7.61

-4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.36 R$6.91

155.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.53 R$7.75

100.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.16 R$5.88

63.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$1.13 R$5.71

56.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.86 R$4.37

172.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.81 R$4.12

91.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.38 R$12.07

378.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$8.18 R$41.44

29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$1.14 R$5.77

99.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.19 R$11.09

28.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$1.01 R$5.13

163.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$30.52 R$155

153.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.32 R$6.70

142.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.87 R$4.39

70.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$8.16 R$41.36

302.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.23 R$6.21

8.94%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.9K R$121.2K

17.72%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$32.6K R$165.3K

-39.78%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$53.4 R$271

42.19%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$12.65 R$64.1

168.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$16.66 R$84.5

153.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$23.82 R$121

24.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$12.05 R$61.1

68.30%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$5.66 R$28.68

97.00%

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

$507 CA$717

$163 R$828

210.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$3,049 R$15.5K

426.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$51.2 R$260

12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$43.38 R$220

-13.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$95.9 R$486

-4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$62.3 R$316

76.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$293 R$1,486

330.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$172 R$870

452.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$648 R$3,285

229.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$391 R$1,982

312.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$2,029 R$10.3K

144.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$674 R$3,416

469.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$637 R$3,227

344.14%

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 Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Santa Maria

$172 23.1% 81.9% $776

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Santa Maria

$192 25.9% 44.6% $154

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Santa Maria

$108 14.5% 62.6% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Santa Maria

$83 11.1% 45.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Santa Maria

$114 15.3% 14.8% $20

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Santa Maria

$40 5.4% 59.2% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Santa Maria

$35 4.7% 32.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $293 in Santa Maria. 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 344% 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 $37.00 in Santa Maria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $192 – making Santa Maria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

271,735

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montreal Santa Maria 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Santa Maria

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 Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 172% more than Santa Maria, 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 $1,114 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 80% 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 $37.00 in Santa Maria. 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 Santa Maria, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Santa Maria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Maria costs $743 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 Santa Maria. 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.