Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,822 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $2,586 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586

Montreal costs about 91% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Sao Caetano do Sul is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.76

$8.89 R$44.60

111.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$40.00 R$201

75.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.15

$8.77 R$44.01

21.55%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.46

$2.38 R$11.96

61.34%

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

$1.92 CA$2.72

$1.33 R$6.66

44.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.19

$0.93 R$4.66

65.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.86

$2.36 R$11.82

163.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.09

$4.00 R$20.06

77.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.29

$1.19 R$5.95

94.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.47

$2.05 R$10.30

53.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.57

$1.44 R$7.23

122.92%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$5.00

$2.48 R$12.43

41.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.22

$10.70 R$53.7

19.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.30

$5.43 R$27.26

111.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$19.03

$10.91 R$54.8

22.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.46

$2.39 R$11.98

31.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.72 R$8.65

-16.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.94

$1.55 R$7.76

123.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.37

$2.08 R$10.43

47.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.40 R$7.02

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.26 R$6.34

40.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.33

$0.92 R$4.62

154.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.21

$0.81 R$4.08

91.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.18

$2.49 R$12.49

357.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.12

$8.97 R$44.99

18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.23

$1.75 R$8.79

29.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.01

$2.58 R$12.92

9.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$0.68 R$3.43

291.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.55

$1.32 R$6.64

142.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.02 R$5.13

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.75

$8.86 R$44.47

271.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.91

$1.34 R$6.72

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

$28.2K CA$40.0K

$24.5K R$123.1K

14.73%

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

$19.6K CA$27.9K

$32.6K R$163.4K

-39.74%

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

$76.0 CA$108

$103 R$517

-26.22%

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

$33.95 CA$48.28

$14.91 R$74.8

127.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$60.2

$22.99 R$115

84.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.31

$50.3 R$253

-40.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.84

$46.01 R$231

-55.92%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.86

$10.14 R$50.9

9.96%

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

$507 CA$721

$437 R$2,192

16.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.8K

$11.2K R$56.1K

43.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.8

$65.3 R$328

-11.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.4

$57.3 R$288

-34.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$131

$98.3 R$493

-6.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$156

$93.2 R$467

17.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,792

$419 R$2,104

200.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,347

$311 R$1,559

204.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,038

$867 R$4,349

146.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,294

$868 R$4,353

86.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,052

$1,890 R$9,483

162.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,456

$1,435 R$7,201

167.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$4,020

$951 R$4,773

197.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

10.81

-58.56%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4% 67.2% $637

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8% 33.4% $116

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6% 46.2% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3% 7.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4% 5.9% $7.9

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9% 90.7% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7% 35.7% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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 197% 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 $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $231 – making Sao Caetano do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

165,655

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Sao Caetano do Sul 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 91% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, 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 $1,588 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Montreal and $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Caetano do Sul, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Sao Caetano do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Caetano do Sul costs $1,058 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 Sao Caetano do Sul. 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.