Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palmas and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Palmas: $834 a month against $2,059 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Palmas
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Palmas Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Palmas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$834

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,059

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palmas 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 Palmas and in Montreal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $834 per month in Palmas vs $2,059 in Montreal, rent included.

Palmas $834
Montreal $2,059

A couple spends around $1,292 per month in Palmas vs $3,123 in Montreal, rent included.

Palmas $1,292
Montreal $3,123

A family of three spends $1,751 per month in Palmas vs $4,187 in Montreal, rent included.

Palmas $1,751
Montreal $4,187

Palmas is about 60% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Palmas sits 38% below the global median, while Montreal is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 R$20.06

$18.84 CA$26.63

-78.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.09 R$102

$73.2 CA$104

-72.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 R$40.93

$10.54 CA$14.90

-23.43%

Cappuccino

$1.43 R$7.27

$3.97 CA$5.61

-63.98%

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

$1.82 R$9.21

$1.94 CA$2.74

-6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.69

$1.57 CA$2.22

-28.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.42 R$7.22

$6.42 CA$9.08

-77.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R$15.70

$7.20 CA$10.19

-56.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.47

$2.32 CA$3.28

-53.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 R$7.45

$3.19 CA$4.51

-53.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.28

$3.19 CA$4.50

-61.13%

Eggs

$2.67 R$13.52

$3.68 CA$5.20

-27.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.12 R$36.11

$13.24 CA$18.72

-46.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 R$15.80

$11.69 CA$16.53

-73.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.31 R$31.98

$13.98 CA$19.76

-54.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 R$10.98

$3.14 CA$4.44

-30.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 R$8.85

$1.45 CA$2.05

20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.25

$3.38 CA$4.78

-63.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.21

$3.11 CA$4.40

-60.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.42

$1.93 CA$2.72

-34.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 R$5.43

$1.83 CA$2.58

-41.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$3.91

$2.36 CA$3.34

-67.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.91

$1.50 CA$2.12

-48.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.48

$11.12 CA$15.73

-77.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 R$36.30

$10.60 CA$14.98

-32.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$6.71

$2.22 CA$3.14

-40.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 R$10.66

$2.84 CA$4.01

-26.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.72

$2.62 CA$3.71

-72.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.43 R$220

$79.1 CA$112

-45.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$3.23 CA$4.56

-59.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 R$4.28

$1.48 CA$2.10

-43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 R$39.74

$32.22 CA$45.55

-75.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.08

$1.36 CA$1.92

-11.76%

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

$23.9K R$121.4K

$27.6K CA$39.1K

-13.39%

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

$33.0K R$167.3K

$21.2K CA$30.0K

55.74%

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

$115 R$581

$77.0 CA$109

48.87%

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

$11.64 R$59.0

$34.14 CA$48.26

-65.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.99 R$101

$42.19 CA$59.7

-52.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.48 R$119

$30.81 CA$43.56

-23.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 R$139

$19.66 CA$27.79

39.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 R$33.36

$11.47 CA$16.22

-42.63%

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

$155 R$785

$506 CA$716

-69.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,304 R$37.0K

$16.2K CA$23.0K

-55.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.91 R$187

$57.3 CA$81.0

-35.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 R$256

$38.10 CA$53.9

32.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 R$583

$91.9 CA$130

25.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 R$368

$110 CA$155

-33.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 R$1,514

$1,237 CA$1,748

-75.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$204 R$1,035

$977 CA$1,381

-79.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 R$3,162

$2,180 CA$3,082

-71.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$427 R$2,165

$1,608 CA$2,273

-73.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,718 R$8,707

$5,113 CA$7,228

-66.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,207 R$6,116

$3,744 CA$5,293

-67.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,957 CA$4,180

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

145.54%

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

Last update for Palmas: October 19, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palmas

$204 24.5%

Montreal

$977 47.4% 379% $773

Groceries & Markets

Palmas

$173 20.7%

Montreal

$351 17.1% 103% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palmas

$146 17.6%

Montreal

$153 7.5% 4.8% $7.1

Clothing & Footwear

Palmas

$124 14.8%

Montreal

$134 6.5% 8.1% $10

Eating Out

Palmas

$98 11.8%

Montreal

$290 14.1% 196% $192

Getting Around

Palmas

$52 6.2%

Montreal

$100 4.9% 93.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Palmas

$37 4.4%

Montreal

$54 2.6% 46.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Palmas versus $1,237 in Montreal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Palmas versus $73.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $351 – making Palmas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Palmas

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

1 h behind Palmas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,692

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palmas Montreal 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Palmas
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

Palmas vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 147% more than Palmas, 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 $1,250 per month in Palmas and $3,089 in Montreal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 103% 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 $20.00 in Palmas and $73.0 in Montreal. 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 Palmas, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Montreal at $2,059. In Palmas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Palmas costs $834 versus $2,059 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 Palmas. 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.