Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Sao Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Luis: $834 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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 Sao Luis
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Sao Luis Living Index

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Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,003

/mo nomad

Sao Luis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $834 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Montreal $2,003
Sao Luis $834

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,310 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Montreal $3,048
Sao Luis $1,310

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $1,786 in Sao Luis, rent included.

Montreal $4,092
Sao Luis $1,786

Montreal costs about 140% more than Sao Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.31 CA$27.52

$6.60 R$32.93

192.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 CA$108

$39.74 R$198

89.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 CA$15.15

$6.82 R$34.03

55.87%

Cappuccino

$3.93 CA$5.60

$2.15 R$10.71

82.79%

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

$1.92 CA$2.73

$1.27 R$6.33

51.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.73 R$3.65

102.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.30 CA$8.98

$1.96 R$9.77

221.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.19 CA$10.24

$2.44 R$12.16

194.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 CA$3.17

$1.11 R$5.52

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CA$4.36

$1.93 R$9.64

58.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.19

$1.11 R$5.54

164.86%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$5.03

$2.27 R$11.31

55.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 CA$18.79

$10.14 R$50.6

30.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.24 CA$16.02

$4.28 R$21.36

162.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 CA$19.69

$7.64 R$38.12

80.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 CA$4.85

$2.11 R$10.55

61.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.06

$1.39 R$6.95

3.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.65

$1.22 R$6.09

167.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 CA$4.10

$1.73 R$8.64

66.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 CA$2.65

$1.33 R$6.64

39.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 CA$2.60

$1.34 R$6.67

35.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.90 R$4.47

170.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.17

$0.73 R$3.62

108.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.45 CA$16.32

$2.44 R$12.17

369.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 CA$14.76

$8.21 R$41.00

26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$1.27 R$6.36

74.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 CA$4.02

$2.32 R$11.60

21.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 CA$3.67

$0.85 R$4.27

203.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.9 CA$110

$38.52 R$192

99.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 CA$4.64

$1.03 R$5.12

215.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.94 R$4.70

57.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 CA$47.09

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$1.21 R$6.05

12.40%

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

$27.4K CA$39.1K

$24.2K R$120.6K

13.51%

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

$20.0K CA$28.5K

$30.4K R$151.5K

-34.20%

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

$76.1 CA$109

$97.5 R$487

-21.90%

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

$34.68 CA$49.43

$18.02 R$90.0

92.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.69 CA$60.9

$21.42 R$107

99.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.94 CA$41.26

$20.11 R$100

43.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.33 CA$28.97

$15.27 R$76.2

33.14%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.98

$6.84 R$34.14

63.89%

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

$505 CA$720

$183 R$915

175.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K CA$22.8K

$2,911 R$14.5K

450.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 CA$83.4

$64.7 R$323

-9.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.00 CA$54.2

$54.6 R$273

-30.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 CA$132

$75.1 R$375

23.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 CA$151

$59.0 R$294

79.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CA$1,768

$363 R$1,812

241.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 CA$1,405

$187 R$935

426.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 CA$2,996

$580 R$2,893

262.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,615 CA$2,302

$330 R$1,648

389.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,043 CA$7,188

$1,575 R$7,864

220.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,830 CA$5,459

$721 R$3,598

431.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 CA$4,163

$386 R$1,929

655.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sao Luis: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montreal

$986 47.9%

Sao Luis

$187 22.3% 81% $799

Groceries & Markets

Montreal

$344 16.7%

Sao Luis

$197 23.6% 42.5% $146

Eating Out

Montreal

$293 14.2%

Sao Luis

$122 14.5% 58.5% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montreal

$154 7.5%

Sao Luis

$137 16.3% 10.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Montreal

$133 6.5%

Sao Luis

$114 13.6% 14.1% $19

Getting Around

Montreal

$98 4.8%

Sao Luis

$48 5.7% 51.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Montreal

$51 2.5%

Sao Luis

$34 4% 34.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $363 in Sao Luis. 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 656% 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 $75.0 in Montreal versus $40.00 in Sao Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $197 – making Sao Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Montreal

🇧🇷 Sao Luis

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h ahead of Montreal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,762,949

1,037,775

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1 BRL = 0.2 USD

1 BRL = 0.179 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.99 BRL (1 BRL = 0.2 USD). 1 EUR = 5.59 BRL (1 BRL = 0.179 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Montreal Sao Luis 6,070 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Montreal
Sao Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 140% more than Sao Luis, 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 $3,005 per month in Montreal and $1,251 in Sao Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 74% 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 $75.0 in Montreal and $40.00 in Sao Luis. 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 Luis, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Sao Luis 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 Luis costs $834 versus $2,003 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 Luis. 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.