Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montreal and Timbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Timbo: $764 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Montreal
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,059
/mo nomad
Timbo
🇧🇷 Brazil
$764
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Montreal and in Timbo

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

A single person spends $2,059 per month in Montreal vs $764 in Timbo, rent included.

  • Montreal $2,059
  • Timbo $764

A couple spends around $3,123 per month in Montreal vs $1,250 in Timbo, rent included.

  • Montreal $3,123
  • Timbo $1,250

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Montreal vs $1,737 in Timbo, rent included.

  • Montreal $4,187
  • Timbo $1,737

Montreal costs about 169% more than Timbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montreal sits 52% above the global median, while Timbo is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.84 CA$26.63
$4.90 R$24.82
284.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.2 CA$104
$39.89 R$202
83.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.54 CA$14.90
$3.93 R$19.90
168.19%
Cappuccino
$3.97 CA$5.61
$2.05 R$10.41
93.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 CA$2.74
$1.07 R$5.44
81.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 CA$2.22
$0.71 R$3.60
121.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 CA$9.08
$1.89 R$9.57
239.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.20 CA$10.19
$2.35 R$11.93
206.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 CA$3.28
$0.93 R$4.69
149.46%
White Bread (500g)
$3.19 CA$4.51
$1.47 R$7.47
117.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.19 CA$4.50
$0.93 R$4.72
243.01%
Eggs
$3.68 CA$5.20
$1.80 R$9.11
104.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.24 CA$18.72
$7.84 R$39.76
68.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.69 CA$16.53
$3.60 R$18.24
224.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.98 CA$19.76
$7.74 R$39.26
80.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 CA$4.44
$1.83 R$9.29
71.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 CA$2.05
$0.72 R$3.65
101.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.38 CA$4.78
$0.83 R$4.20
307.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.11 CA$4.40
$1.34 R$6.81
132.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 CA$2.72
$0.86 R$4.35
124.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.83 CA$2.58
$0.78 R$3.96
134.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.36 CA$3.34
$0.63 R$3.18
274.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 CA$2.12
$0.83 R$4.20
80.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.12 CA$15.73
$1.63 R$8.25
582.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.60 CA$14.98
$4.99 R$25.28
112.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 CA$3.14
$1.12 R$5.68
98.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 CA$4.01
$2.06 R$10.44
37.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 CA$3.71
$1.03 R$5.24
154.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.1 CA$112
$44.44 R$225
78.08%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.23 CA$4.56
$1.31 R$6.65
146.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.48 CA$2.10
$0.83 R$4.20
78.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.22 CA$45.55
$6.11 R$30.95
427.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 CA$1.92
$1.02 R$5.19
33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K CA$39.1K
$22.8K R$115.7K
21.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K CA$30.0K
$27.3K R$138.4K
-22.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.0 CA$109
$57.6 R$292
33.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.14 CA$48.26
$12.86 R$65.2
165.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.19 CA$59.7
$23.62 R$120
78.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.81 CA$43.56
$25.78 R$131
19.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.66 CA$27.79
$27.38 R$139
-28.20%
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 CA$16.22
$5.84 R$29.62
96.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$506 CA$716
$238 R$1,204
113.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.2K CA$23.0K
$2,918 R$14.8K
456.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.3 CA$81.0
$31.48 R$160
81.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.10 CA$53.9
$40.18 R$204
-5.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.9 CA$130
$59.2 R$300
55.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 CA$155
$49.89 R$253
119.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 CA$1,748
$351 R$1,781
252.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$977 CA$1,381
$241 R$1,223
304.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,180 CA$3,082
$662 R$3,354
229.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,608 CA$2,273
$477 R$2,419
236.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,113 CA$7,228
$1,726 R$8,751
196.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,744 CA$5,293
$1,213 R$6,151
208.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Montreal
Timbo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,957 CA$4,180
$713 R$3,613
314.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
11
-59.27%

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

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Last update for Timbo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Montreal
$977
Timbo
$241 75.3% $735
Groceries & Markets
Montreal
$351
Timbo
$159 54.6% $192
Eating Out
Montreal
$290
Timbo
$97 66.7% $194
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Montreal
$153
Timbo
$94 38.7% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Montreal
$134
Timbo
$81 39.1% $52
Getting Around
Montreal
$100
Timbo
$54 46.1% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Montreal
$54
Timbo
$37 30.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,237 in Montreal versus $351 in Timbo. 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 315% 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 $73.0 in Montreal versus $40.00 in Timbo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $159 – making Timbo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Montreal
🇧🇷 Timbo
🕒 Local time
20:07 8:07 PM
21:07 9:07 PM
1 h ahead of Montreal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,762,949
46,099
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Montreal Timbo 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Montreal
  • Timbo

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 Timbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Montreal or Timbo?
Montreal costs about 169% more than Timbo, 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 Timbo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,089 per month in Montreal and $1,147 in Timbo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Montreal or Timbo?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Timbo, 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 Timbo?
Groceries cost about 120% 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 Timbo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Montreal and $40.00 in Timbo. 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 Timbo?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Timbo, where all-in costs run around $764, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Timbo 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 Timbo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Timbo costs $764 versus $2,059 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 Timbo?
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 Timbo?
If budget matters most, go with Timbo. 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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