Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Serra and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
Learn more

Serra Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
Learn more

Montreal Living Index

Jump to prices

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Serra vs $2,018 in Montreal, rent included.

Serra $889
Montreal $2,018

A couple spends around $1,317 per month in Serra vs $3,085 in Montreal, rent included.

Serra $1,317
Montreal $3,085

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Serra vs $4,152 in Montreal, rent included.

Serra $1,744
Montreal $4,152

Serra is about 56% cheaper than Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Serra sits 34% below the global median, while Montreal is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.77 R$24.16

$18.82 CA$26.61

-74.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.99 R$117

$70.3 CA$99.4

-67.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 R$41.58

$10.66 CA$15.06

-23.08%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.57

$3.84 CA$5.43

-45.57%

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

$1.34 R$6.77

$1.92 CA$2.71

-30.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.15

$1.54 CA$2.18

-59.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 R$9.88

$6.23 CA$8.81

-68.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.53

$7.10 CA$10.03

-56.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R$5.70

$2.31 CA$3.27

-51.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.80 R$9.13

$3.14 CA$4.44

-42.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$3.21 CA$4.54

-63.55%

Eggs

$2.14 R$10.87

$3.52 CA$4.97

-39.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 R$53.2

$12.81 CA$18.11

-18.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R$23.22

$11.46 CA$16.20

-60.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 R$43.27

$13.39 CA$18.92

-36.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 R$14.53

$3.14 CA$4.43

-8.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.44 CA$2.03

6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R$9.28

$3.47 CA$4.91

-47.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$3.07 CA$4.34

-47.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.96

$1.90 CA$2.69

-37.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.65

$1.77 CA$2.50

-37.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R$6.78

$2.34 CA$3.31

-42.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.03

$1.55 CA$2.19

-10.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$11.38 CA$16.09

-78.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 R$28.59

$10.63 CA$15.03

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$4.98

$2.27 CA$3.21

-56.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R$16.59

$2.82 CA$3.99

15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 R$4.93

$2.66 CA$3.76

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.18 R$239

$77.3 CA$109

-38.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$3.20 CA$4.53

-59.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 R$5.72

$1.48 CA$2.09

-23.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 R$34.95

$32.88 CA$46.48

-79.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.34 CA$1.90

-19.40%

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

$23.5K R$119.2K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-16.48%

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

$33.8K R$171.1K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

71.97%

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

$158 R$803

$76.0 CA$107

108.54%

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

$12.30 R$62.4

$33.95 CA$48.00

-63.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$42.31 CA$59.8

-50.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.83 R$131

$29.76 CA$42.07

-13.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.87 R$141

$20.28 CA$28.67

37.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$37.95

$11.15 CA$15.77

-32.83%

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

$188 R$955

$507 CA$717

-62.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,726 R$34.1K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-58.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R$279

$57.6 CA$81.4

-4.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 R$259

$37.58 CA$53.1

36.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 R$462

$91.9 CA$130

-0.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.3 R$377

$110 CA$155

-32.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,271

$1,260 CA$1,782

-80.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 R$774

$948 CA$1,340

-83.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 R$2,261

$2,137 CA$3,021

-79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 R$1,117

$1,614 CA$2,281

-86.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$970 R$4,917

$4,960 CA$7,011

-80.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$563 R$2,852

$3,838 CA$5,425

-85.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$559 R$2,833

$2,827 CA$3,997

-80.23%

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 Serra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Serra

$212 23.8%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 63.5% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Serra

$192 21.6%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 20.6% $40

Accommodation & Living

Serra

$153 17.2%

Montreal

$948 47% 521% $795

Clothing & Footwear

Serra

$122 13.8%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Serra

$111 12.5%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 158% $176

Getting Around

Serra

$58 6.5%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 69.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Serra

$41 4.6%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 27.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $251 in Serra 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 406% 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 $23.00 in Serra versus $70.0 in Montreal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $346 – making Serra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Serra

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

03:49 3:49 AM

1 h behind Serra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

520,653

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Serra Montreal 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Serra
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

Serra vs Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Montreal costs about 127% more than Serra, 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 $1,333 per month in Serra 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 Serra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% 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 $23.00 in Serra and $70.0 in Montreal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Serra, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Montreal at $2,018. In Serra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Montreal it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Serra costs $889 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 Serra. 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.