Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul: $1,058 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,822 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $2,586 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586
Montreal $4,152

Sao Caetano do Sul is about 48% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Caetano do Sul sits 22% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.89 R$44.60

$18.82 CA$26.76

-52.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$201

$70.3 CA$99.9

-43.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 R$44.01

$10.66 CA$15.15

-17.73%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$11.96

$3.84 CA$5.46

-38.02%

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

$1.33 R$6.66

$1.92 CA$2.72

-30.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.66

$1.54 CA$2.19

-39.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.82

$6.23 CA$8.86

-62.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 R$20.06

$7.10 CA$10.09

-43.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$5.95

$2.31 CA$3.29

-48.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.30

$3.14 CA$4.47

-34.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.23

$3.21 CA$4.57

-55.14%

Eggs

$2.48 R$12.43

$3.52 CA$5.00

-29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$53.7

$12.81 CA$18.22

-16.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 R$27.26

$11.46 CA$16.30

-52.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 R$54.8

$13.39 CA$19.03

-18.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$11.98

$3.14 CA$4.46

-23.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.65

$1.44 CA$2.04

19.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.76

$3.47 CA$4.94

-55.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R$10.43

$3.07 CA$4.37

-32.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.02

$1.90 CA$2.70

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.34

$1.77 CA$2.52

-28.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.62

$2.34 CA$3.33

-60.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.08

$1.55 CA$2.21

-47.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.49

$11.38 CA$16.18

-78.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 R$44.99

$10.63 CA$15.12

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 R$8.79

$2.27 CA$3.23

-22.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 R$12.92

$2.82 CA$4.01

-8.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 R$3.43

$2.66 CA$3.79

-74.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$110

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.64

$3.20 CA$4.55

-58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.13

$1.48 CA$2.10

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 R$44.47

$32.88 CA$46.75

-73.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.72

$1.34 CA$1.91

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

$24.5K R$123.1K

$28.2K CA$40.0K

-12.84%

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

$32.6K R$163.4K

$19.6K CA$27.9K

65.96%

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

$103 R$517

$76.0 CA$108

35.55%

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

$14.91 R$74.8

$33.95 CA$48.28

-56.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 R$115

$42.31 CA$60.2

-45.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 R$253

$29.76 CA$42.31

69.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 R$231

$20.28 CA$28.84

126.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 R$50.9

$11.15 CA$15.86

-9.06%

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

$437 R$2,192

$507 CA$721

-13.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.1K

$16.1K CA$22.8K

-30.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 R$328

$57.6 CA$81.8

13.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$288

$37.58 CA$53.4

52.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R$493

$91.9 CA$131

6.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 R$467

$110 CA$156

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 R$2,104

$1,260 CA$1,792

-66.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 R$1,559

$948 CA$1,347

-67.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 R$4,349

$2,137 CA$3,038

-59.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 R$4,353

$1,614 CA$2,294

-46.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 R$9,483

$4,960 CA$7,052

-61.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 R$7,201

$3,838 CA$5,456

-62.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 R$4,773

$2,827 CA$4,020

-66.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

4.48

141.29%

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

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4%

Montreal

$948 47% 205% $637

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 50% $116

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 85.9% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 5.6% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 8.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 26.3% $19

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 974% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 197% 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 $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $346 – making Sao Caetano do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

1 h behind Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Caetano do Sul Montreal 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano do Sul
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

Sao Caetano do Sul vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 91% more than Sao Caetano do Sul, 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 $1,588 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 Sao Caetano do Sul, 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 $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul 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 50% 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 Sao Caetano do Sul, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Sao Caetano do Sul 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 Caetano do Sul costs $1,058 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 Sao Caetano do Sul. 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.