Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Sao Leopoldo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Leopoldo: $832 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Sao Leopoldo
Learn more

Sao Leopoldo Living Index

Jump to prices

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Sao Leopoldo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Sao Leopoldo

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Montreal vs $832 in Sao Leopoldo, rent included.

Montreal $2,018
Sao Leopoldo $832

A couple spends around $3,085 per month in Montreal vs $1,301 in Sao Leopoldo, rent included.

Montreal $3,085
Sao Leopoldo $1,301

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Montreal vs $1,769 in Sao Leopoldo, rent included.

Montreal $4,152
Sao Leopoldo $1,769

Montreal costs about 142% more than Sao Leopoldo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Sao Leopoldo is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 CA$26.61

$4.99 R$25.30

277.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.4

$22.31 R$113

215.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 CA$15.06

$7.07 R$35.84

50.78%

Cappuccino

$3.84 CA$5.43

$1.65 R$8.38

132.73%

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

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.02 R$5.15

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CA$2.18

$0.76 R$3.85

102.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.23 CA$8.81

$2.10 R$10.62

196.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 CA$10.03

$2.50 R$12.67

184.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 CA$3.27

$0.94 R$4.76

145.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 CA$4.44

$1.36 R$6.88

130.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.12 R$5.68

186.61%

Eggs

$3.52 CA$4.97

$2.43 R$12.32

44.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 CA$18.11

$9.93 R$50.4

29.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.46 CA$16.20

$3.78 R$19.14

203.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.39 CA$18.92

$9.59 R$48.61

39.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 CA$4.43

$1.19 R$6.02

163.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.81 R$4.11

77.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.91

$1.23 R$6.21

182.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 CA$4.34

$1.56 R$7.91

96.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.69

$1.21 R$6.13

57.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.97 R$4.93

82.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CA$3.31

$0.81 R$4.12

188.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 CA$2.19

$0.73 R$3.69

112.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.38 CA$16.09

$2.01 R$10.20

466.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 CA$15.03

$7.20 R$36.50

47.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.94 R$4.76

141.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.26 R$11.46

24.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 CA$3.76

$0.77 R$3.88

245.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

$43.63 R$221

77.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 CA$4.53

$1.33 R$6.76

140.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.09

$0.63 R$3.19

134.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.88 CA$46.48

$6.18 R$31.35

432.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CA$1.90

$1.15 R$5.84

16.52%

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

$28.2K CA$39.8K

$23.4K R$118.8K

20.13%

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

$19.6K CA$27.8K

$30.9K R$156.7K

-36.48%

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

$76.0 CA$107

$75.8 R$384

0.17%

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

$33.95 CA$48.00

$11.25 R$57.0

201.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 CA$59.8

$20.19 R$102

109.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.76 CA$42.07

$22.90 R$116

29.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.67

$27.89 R$141

-27.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 CA$15.77

$7.11 R$36.05

56.82%

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

$507 CA$717

$250 R$1,265

103.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K CA$22.7K

$7,304 R$37.0K

119.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 CA$81.4

$50.6 R$256

13.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.58 CA$53.1

$49.51 R$251

-24.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 CA$130

$102 R$518

-10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$49.13 R$249

123.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 CA$1,782

$204 R$1,035

517.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 CA$1,340

$241 R$1,221

293.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 CA$3,021

$665 R$3,371

221.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 CA$2,281

$465 R$2,357

247.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,960 CA$7,011

$1,710 R$8,670

189.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,425

$1,208 R$6,125

217.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

$497 R$2,520

468.74%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Sao Leopoldo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$948 47%

Sao Leopoldo

$241 28.9% 74.6% $707

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$346 17.2%

Sao Leopoldo

$179 21.5% 48.2% $167

Eating Out

Montreal

$288 14.3%

Sao Leopoldo

$104 12.4% 64% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$152 7.5%

Sao Leopoldo

$107 12.9% 29.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.6%

Sao Leopoldo

$113 13.6% 15.3% $20

Getting Around

Montreal

$99 4.9%

Sao Leopoldo

$51 6.2% 48.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$52 2.6%

Sao Leopoldo

$37 4.5% 28.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,260 in Montreal versus $204 in Sao Leopoldo. 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 469% 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 $22.00 in Sao Leopoldo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $179 – making Sao Leopoldo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Sao Leopoldo

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

217,409

💱 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 Sao Leopoldo 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Sao Leopoldo

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 Leopoldo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 142% more than Sao Leopoldo, 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 $1,248 in Sao Leopoldo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 93% 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 $22.00 in Sao Leopoldo. 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 Sao Leopoldo, where all-in costs run around $832, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Sao Leopoldo 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 Leopoldo costs $832 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 Leopoldo. 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.