Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Teresina

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $750 a month against $2,003 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,003
/mo nomad
Teresina
🇧🇷 Brazil
$750
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Teresina

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

A single person spends $2,003 per month in Montreal vs $750 in Teresina, rent included.

  • Montreal $2,003
  • Teresina $750

A couple spends around $3,048 per month in Montreal vs $1,236 in Teresina, rent included.

  • Montreal $3,048
  • Teresina $1,236

A family of three spends $4,092 per month in Montreal vs $1,722 in Teresina, rent included.

  • Montreal $4,092
  • Teresina $1,722

Montreal costs about 167% more than Teresina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 49% above the global median, while Teresina is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.31 CA$27.52
$5.85 R$29.18
230.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.5 CA$108
$20.37 R$102
270.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 CA$15.15
$6.21 R$30.98
71.18%
Cappuccino
$3.93 CA$5.60
$2.14 R$10.69
83.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 CA$2.73
$1.09 R$5.44
76.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 CA$2.11
$0.76 R$3.81
94.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.30 CA$8.98
$1.54 R$7.66
309.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.19 CA$10.24
$3.18 R$15.88
126.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 CA$3.17
$1.50 R$7.48
48.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 CA$4.36
$2.31 R$11.55
32.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.94 CA$4.19
$1.47 R$7.35
100.00%
Eggs
$3.53 CA$5.03
$4.45 R$22.21
-20.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.19 CA$18.79
$7.83 R$39.08
68.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.24 CA$16.02
$4.29 R$21.42
162.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.81 CA$19.69
$6.70 R$33.45
106.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.40 CA$4.85
$1.95 R$9.74
74.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 CA$2.06
$0.96 R$4.79
50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.26 CA$4.65
$0.95 R$4.76
243.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 CA$4.10
$1.30 R$6.51
121.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 CA$2.65
$1.12 R$5.57
66.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 CA$2.60
$0.96 R$4.78
89.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.43 CA$3.46
$0.54 R$2.72
350.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 CA$2.17
$1.47 R$7.34
3.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.45 CA$16.32
$3.29 R$16.42
248.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.36 CA$14.76
$9.73 R$48.59
6.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.16
$1.42 R$7.07
56.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 CA$4.02
$2.95 R$14.71
-4.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.58 CA$3.67
$0.98 R$4.90
163.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.9 CA$110
$45.52 R$227
68.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.25 CA$4.64
$1.63 R$8.15
99.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.11
$0.77 R$3.86
92.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.04 CA$47.09
$8.15 R$40.68
305.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.94
$1.17 R$5.86
16.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K CA$39.1K
$23.8K R$118.6K
15.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.0K CA$28.5K
$32.0K R$159.7K
-37.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$76.1 CA$109
$77.3 R$386
-1.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.68 CA$49.43
$10.68 R$53.3
224.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.69 CA$60.9
$17.75 R$88.6
140.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.94 CA$41.26
$21.47 R$107
34.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.33 CA$28.97
$13.12 R$65.5
54.95%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21 CA$15.98
$7.80 R$38.95
43.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$505 CA$720
$575 R$2,871
-12.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K CA$22.8K
$7,241 R$36.1K
121.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.5 CA$83.4
$44.08 R$220
32.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.00 CA$54.2
$29.68 R$148
28.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 CA$132
$76.2 R$380
21.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 CA$151
$50.4 R$252
109.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 CA$1,768
$166 R$828
647.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$986 CA$1,405
$151 R$755
552.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 CA$2,996
$413 R$2,063
408.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,615 CA$2,302
$431 R$2,150
274.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,043 CA$7,188
$1,388 R$6,927
263.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,830 CA$5,459
$765 R$3,817
400.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Teresina
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,920 CA$4,163
$402 R$2,004
627.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.46
11
-59.45%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 6, 2026

Last update for Teresina: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$986
Teresina
$151 84.7% $835
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$344
Teresina
$210 38.8% $133
Eating Out
Montreal
$293
Teresina
$113 61.6% $180
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$154
Teresina
$106 31.1% $48
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$133
Teresina
$90 32.1% $43
Getting Around
Montreal
$98
Teresina
$55 43.9% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$51
Teresina
$37 27.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Montreal versus $166 in Teresina. 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 627% 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 $20.00 in Teresina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $210 – making Teresina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇧🇷 Teresina
🕒 Local time
07:28 7:28 AM
08:28 8:28 AM
1 h ahead of Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
866,300
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Teresina 6,400 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Teresina

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 Teresina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or Teresina?
Montreal costs about 167% more than Teresina, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Montreal and in Teresina?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,005 per month in Montreal and $1,125 in Teresina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Montreal or Teresina?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Montreal or in Teresina?
Groceries cost about 63% more in Montreal, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Montreal and in Teresina?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Montreal and $20.00 in Teresina. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Montreal or in Teresina?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Teresina, where all-in costs run around $750, than in Montreal at $2,003. In Teresina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Montreal or Teresina?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Teresina costs $750 versus $2,003 in Montreal. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Montreal compared to Teresina?
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.
Should I move to Montreal or to Teresina?
If budget matters most, go with Teresina. 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.

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