Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nova Friburgo and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $611 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nova Friburgo and in Montreal

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nova Friburgo and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $611 per month in Nova Friburgo vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Nova Friburgo $611
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,026 per month in Nova Friburgo vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Nova Friburgo $1,026
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,440 per month in Nova Friburgo vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Nova Friburgo $1,440
Montreal $4,152

Nova Friburgo is about 70% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nova Friburgo sits 55% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 R$29.44

$18.82 CA$26.76

-68.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.15 R$151

$70.3 CA$99.9

-57.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 R$32.01

$10.66 CA$15.15

-40.15%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.84

$3.84 CA$5.46

-54.17%

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

$0.88 R$4.42

$1.92 CA$2.72

-54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.89

$1.54 CA$2.19

-62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 R$5.95

$6.23 CA$8.86

-80.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R$12.30

$7.10 CA$10.09

-65.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.85

$2.31 CA$3.29

-58.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$7.58

$3.14 CA$4.47

-51.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.94

$3.21 CA$4.57

-57.01%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.75

$3.52 CA$5.00

-44.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 R$46.22

$12.81 CA$18.22

-28.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 R$17.16

$11.46 CA$16.30

-70.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.52 R$47.79

$13.39 CA$19.03

-28.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.14

$3.14 CA$4.46

-48.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.04

$1.44 CA$2.04

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.65

$3.47 CA$4.94

-73.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.43

$3.07 CA$4.37

-58.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 R$3.25

$1.90 CA$2.70

-65.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.04

$1.77 CA$2.52

-54.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 R$2.82

$2.34 CA$3.33

-76.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.83

$1.55 CA$2.21

-50.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$7.94

$11.38 CA$16.18

-86.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R$30.43

$10.63 CA$15.12

-42.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.07

$2.27 CA$3.23

-55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.12

$2.82 CA$4.01

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$4.83

$2.66 CA$3.79

-63.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.11

$3.20 CA$4.55

-61.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R$2.79

$1.48 CA$2.10

-62.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 R$34.45

$32.88 CA$46.75

-79.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.27

$1.34 CA$1.91

-6.72%

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

$20.0K R$100.3K

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-29.01%

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

$31.0K R$155.6K

$19.6K CA$27.9K

57.95%

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

$41.63 R$209

$76.0 CA$108

-45.19%

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

$9.54 R$47.85

$33.95 CA$48.28

-71.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.74 R$94.0

$42.31 CA$60.2

-55.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.35 R$112

$29.76 CA$42.31

-24.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.28 CA$28.84

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$33.95

$11.15 CA$15.86

-39.28%

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

$147 R$739

$507 CA$721

-70.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,693 R$13.5K

$16.1K CA$22.8K

-83.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 R$357

$57.6 CA$81.8

23.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.5 R$424

$37.58 CA$53.4

124.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 R$342

$91.9 CA$131

-25.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.77 R$240

$110 CA$156

-56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 R$809

$1,260 CA$1,792

-87.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.3 R$498

$948 CA$1,347

-89.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R$1,987

$2,137 CA$3,038

-81.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 R$1,221

$1,614 CA$2,294

-84.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,604 R$8,050

$4,960 CA$7,052

-67.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$810 R$4,062

$3,838 CA$5,456

-78.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$521 R$2,613

$2,827 CA$4,020

-81.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

4.48

138.17%

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

Last update for Nova Friburgo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nova Friburgo

$172 28.1%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 102% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Nova Friburgo

$122 20%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 9.3% $11

Eating Out

Nova Friburgo

$104 17%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 177% $184

Accommodation & Living

Nova Friburgo

$99 16.3%

Montreal

$948 47% 855% $848

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nova Friburgo

$70 11.5%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 118% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Nova Friburgo

$36 5.9%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 45.1% $16

Getting Around

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 1155% $91

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $161 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,260 in Montreal. 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 443% 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $346 – making Nova Friburgo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

15:25 3:25 PM

1 h behind Nova Friburgo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,939

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

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).

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).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nova Friburgo Montreal 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nova Friburgo
Montreal

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

Nova Friburgo vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 230% more than Nova Friburgo, 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 $916 per month in Nova Friburgo and $3,027 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nova Friburgo, 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 $30.00 in Nova Friburgo and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% 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 Nova Friburgo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Nova Friburgo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nova Friburgo costs $611 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 Nova Friburgo. 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.