✦ Compare
Montreal vs
São Paulo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
To keep the same standard of living in São Paulo, BR, you'd need
$45,074 / year
São Paulo, BR is 40% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (São Paulo, BR vs Montreal, CA)
- Housing-46%
- Food & groceries-48%
- Transport-38%
- Utilities-34%
- Healthcare-25%
- Goods & services-35%
◎ How Montreal, CA and São Paulo, BR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Montreal, CA | São Paulo, BR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 99 | 59 |
| Housing | 102 | 55 |
| Food | 106 | 55 |
| Transport | 80 | 50 |
| Utilities | 98 | 65 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 60 |
| Goods & services | 105 | 68 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,150/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $900/mo | $420/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,200/mo | $1,300/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $5,500 | $2,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,011 | $1,682 |
| Inexpensive meal | $18 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $70 | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 33% | 27.5% |
| VAT / sales tax | 5% | 17% |
| Corporate tax | 26.5% | 34% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $3,300/mo | $600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,900/mo | $280/mo |
| GDP per capita | $55,698 | $10,296 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | High | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 50 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC-3 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 72 | 40 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 65 |
| Pollution index | 35 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 180 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 60 |
| Public transport | 78 | 68 |
| Family-friendly | 74 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 82 yr | 76 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | -9 °C | +23 °C |
| July avg | +21 °C | +16 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 160 | 150 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,000 mm | 1,450 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Canada vs Brazil. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Montreal
A bilingual, European-flavoured metropolis and the most affordable of Canada's big cities — rents well below Toronto or Vancouver, a huge festival and food culture, and cheap universities. The catch is the long, brutally cold winter and Quebec's French-first bureaucracy.
- Currency
- Canadian dollar ($ CAD)
- Languages
- English, French
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 180 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 72/100
- Climate
- ❄ -9°C · ☀ 21°C · 160 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Plateau-Mont-Royal · Mile End · Griffintown · Rosemont
Good to know before you move to São Paulo
Latin America's financial and cultural engine — the region's best job market, restaurants and nightlife, spread across an endless skyline. Big-city upside offset by traffic, sprawl and sharp inequality.
- Currency
- Brazilian real (R$ BRL)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Time zone
- UTC-3
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 40/100
- Climate
- ❄ 23°C · ☀ 16°C · 150 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- N/C · 127V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Vila Madalena · Pinheiros · Jardins · Itaim Bibi
Plan your move to Montreal
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
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Plan your move to São Paulo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Montreal to São Paulo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Montreal to São Paulo, your cost of living will be roughly 40% cheaper. São Paulo’s cost-of-living index is 59 versus 99 for Montreal (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Montreal cheaper than São Paulo?
São Paulo is about 40% cheaper than Montreal overall — its cost-of-living index is 59 versus 99 for Montreal.
How much do you need to earn in São Paulo to live like in Montreal?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Montreal is worth about $45,074 in São Paulo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Montreal or São Paulo?
Brazil has the lower top income-tax rate — 27.5% versus 33% in Canada.
◷ More comparisons from Montreal
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.