Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burlington and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio de Janeiro: $1,289 a month against $2,634 in Burlington, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Burlington
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Burlington Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
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Rio de Janeiro Living Index

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Burlington

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,634

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burlington and in Rio de Janeiro

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

A single person spends $2,634 per month in Burlington vs $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Burlington $2,634
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

A couple spends around $3,790 per month in Burlington vs $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Burlington $3,790
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

A family of three spends $4,946 per month in Burlington vs $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro, rent included.

Burlington $4,946
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Burlington costs about 104% more than Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Burlington sits 95% above the global median, while Rio de Janeiro is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.10 CA$29.82

$10.06 R$51.0

109.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 CA$101

$40.44 R$205

76.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.70 CA$15.13

$8.55 R$43.35

25.15%

Cappuccino

$3.40 CA$4.81

$2.38 R$12.04

42.86%

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

$1.98 CA$2.80

$1.61 R$8.18

22.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CA$2.16

$1.03 R$5.22

48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 CA$7.81

$2.47 R$12.54

123.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.16 CA$8.71

$3.70 R$18.77

66.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.63 CA$3.72

$1.19 R$6.05

121.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 CA$3.93

$2.05 R$10.38

35.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 CA$5.24

$1.28 R$6.49

189.84%

Eggs

$3.51 CA$4.97

$2.29 R$11.60

53.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 CA$14.05

$10.76 R$54.5

-7.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 CA$14.75

$4.41 R$22.36

136.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 CA$20.10

$9.84 R$49.86

44.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CA$5.03

$2.81 R$14.25

26.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 CA$2.13

$1.78 R$9.03

-15.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 CA$3.84

$1.60 R$8.13

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 CA$4.99

$1.80 R$9.11

96.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$1.22 R$6.17

57.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 CA$2.61

$1.04 R$5.26

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 CA$2.89

$0.77 R$3.92

166.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 CA$2.08

$0.67 R$3.38

119.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.04 CA$18.44

$3.01 R$15.27

333.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.57 CA$14.94

$8.08 R$40.94

30.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 CA$3.69

$1.19 R$6.03

119.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 CA$4.02

$2.51 R$12.73

13.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$0.99 R$5.00

157.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 CA$138

$50.1 R$254

94.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 CA$7.01

$1.22 R$6.20

306.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.39 CA$3.38

$0.92 R$4.66

159.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.21 CA$59.7

$8.97 R$45.45

370.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 CA$1.63

$1.30 R$6.57

-11.54%

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

$27.2K CA$38.5K

$23.9K R$121.0K

14.04%

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

$20.2K CA$28.5K

$32.9K R$166.6K

-38.64%

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

$143 CA$202

$133 R$676

6.95%

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

$44.20 CA$62.5

$10.82 R$54.8

308.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 CA$94.3

$22.90 R$116

191.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 CA$72.5

$30.79 R$156

66.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 CA$41.65

$31.85 R$161

-7.50%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 CA$22.51

$8.05 R$40.83

97.89%

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

$1,151 CA$1,628

$598 R$3,029

92.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K CA$27.1K

$13.4K R$68.0K

42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 CA$96.1

$42.04 R$213

61.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.8 CA$90.1

$49.68 R$252

28.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 CA$137

$74.5 R$378

30.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.0 CA$137

$68.7 R$348

41.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 CA$2,286

$903 R$4,578

79.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 CA$1,969

$529 R$2,684

163.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,558 CA$3,616

$1,326 R$6,724

92.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 CA$3,019

$756 R$3,831

182.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,013 CA$7,087

$4,010 R$20.3K

25.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,029 CA$5,696

$1,560 R$7,910

158.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,161 CA$4,468

$640 R$3,242

394.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.52

11.93

-62.11%

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

Last update for Burlington: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burlington

$1.4K 52.9%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 62% $863

Groceries & Markets

Burlington

$338 12.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 36.5% $124

Eating Out

Burlington

$296 11.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 44.2% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burlington

$254 9.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 34.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Burlington

$147 5.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 27.9% $41

Getting Around

Burlington

$124 4.7%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 51.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Burlington

$83 3.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 43.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,617 in Burlington versus $903 in Rio de Janeiro. 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 394% higher in Burlington, 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 $71.0 in Burlington versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $215 – making Rio de Janeiro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burlington

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

1 h ahead of Burlington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

183,314

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burlington Rio de Janeiro 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Burlington
Rio de Janeiro

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

Burlington vs Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Burlington is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,952 per month in Burlington and $1,933 in Rio de Janeiro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $1,151 per month in Burlington and $598 in Rio de Janeiro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Burlington, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Rio de Janeiro, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Burlington at $2,634. In Rio de Janeiro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burlington it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rio de Janeiro – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Rio de Janeiro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Burlington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.